Battle of the Mind
by horseg27
Summary: TVW 2 - Violetwind has accepted that she will never be 'normal' and has adjusted to living her life with her inner counterpart and Team Prime. Things seemed to be fine, but when the purple femme starts acting a little strangely, will the others be able to figure out what is wrong in time to save her from herself? Sequel to The Voice Within.
1. Chapter 1

So Violetwind is back with a sequel! Yay!  
We are picking up pretty much where _The Voice Within_ left off, which was after the episode of TF Prime, _Rebellion_.

And as such it contains major spoilers for the previous story. This is a sequel so the first one's pretty important to it! So seriously, go read it already if you haven't done so. Like right now. Go, go on! _Read it_!

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Right so everyone still here's read the first one? Good. What? You haven't? Well fine, it's only spoilers, it'll still make sense I suppose. Let us proceed. Enjoy guys!

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Chapter 1

It was an ordinary day at the military base for the personnel. Or as ordinary as it was going to get after some giant alien robots had moved into one of the hangers. The men and women went about their usual business, but most still curiously glanced in the robots' direction, more so when they were within sight, like the two sitting outside the hanger at that very moment. One was a white mech sporting blue armour on his front as well as blue trim along his arms and red framing his helm and on the lower tips of his shoulder plating. The other was a femme with dark purple armour and bright blue accents like on her centre helm spike and at her wrists.

"I'm thankful Agent Fowler allowed us to use this hanger for our new base."

The mech chuckled, "_I'm_ sure Fowler's happy to be able to keep a closer eye on us."

Laughing lightly, the femme shook her head. "Fowler's not that bad and you know it, Smoke."

"Haha, perhaps but I wouldn't put it past him."

The pair grew silent, a calm air about them. It was nice just to relax after everything they had been through recently. It was amazing to think that barely a week had passed since they went to Cybertron and confronted Megatron. The tyrant had tried to use the Omega Lock to cyberform Earth. The drama afterwards had seemingly spiralled out of control as Autobot Outpost Omega One was destroyed and they were forced to go on the run. Optimus and Smokescreen had been presumed dead and the Autobots had faced Darkmout alone, almost not making it out alive. The tides turned, however, when Optimus arrived with an upgraded body and took down Megatron and Darkmount's fusion cannons. With the Decepticon's threat over Earth abolished, Agent Fowler brought in the air force to destroyed the citadel.

Since then Fowler gave them a hanger on the military base to use. He also provided a vehicle for Optimus to scan, to better suit his new body. It was based on a new experimental all terrain fighting vehicle that human engineers had developed.

On top of all that had transpired with the Decepticons, Violetwind had been dealing with her own struggles. The voice she had heard in her head had not been the results of mental illness but instead was the voice of the actual femme Violetwind. The femme conversing with Smokescreen, used to be a human before her mind was transferred into her current shared body. Nothing could be done to separate them, and so they were stuck in the the one body; the original owner, now referred to Windy as the human woman took on the identity of Violetwind. The Autobots all knew of course but the sensitive information had to be kept from the Decepticons lest they try to exploit the knowledge of how she came to be this way.

"Hey, so, Vi?" Smokescreen was pondering her mental situation.

"Yeah?"

"How weird is it know Windy is able to listen in on your thoughts? Like, you can't keep anything private? No thoughts to yourself?"

The ex-human, considered it for a moment but ultimately shook her head. "Not really. She just sort of is, you know."

_You're just saying I exist, is that it?_ Windy's tone became a mock whine, _Don't I mean anything to you any more?_

She smirked, ignoring her inner companion for the moment. "I haven't really needed to nor would I really want to keep anything from her. There's be nothing to gain by hiding anything."

_Slag, yeah. You'd better believe it. _

Turning to her, the mech leaned against the building with his elbow, "What's she like then? Not too boring is she?"

_Boring? What?! How dare the young fragger call me that!_

Violetwind chuckled, "No, boring would _not_ be something to describe her, at all. I have to say though, she is _very_ different to me." Tapping her chin with her finger she tried to come up with a way to describe her friend, "Windy is... Well, she swears a lot. And, is very opinionated and she's certainly got a strong personality. Uh, more like Miko, I guess, but without the constant questions."

"Haha, oh boy," he laughed, "I can't imagine what it might be like having a Miko in my head."

Laughing along with him she replied, "At least it would be easier to keep track of her. No more running off into danger."

_Hey, I'm not that bad! _

The mech laughed harder, "She would! But only if you could handle her being constantly in your ear!"

Their laughter continued for a short while before a sharp growl broke in, causing immediate silence between them. "Violetwind! I want you to help me with with setting up our equipment."

The femme looked up at the medic, the sun glinting off his orange and white armour. "Ok, Ratchet."

Nodding he grunted and headed off back inside.

"I guess duty calls," she told her companion with an apologetic smile.

Smokescreen nodded, glancing after the mech, "Wish he'd lighten up a bit though."

"I think we're lucky to have gotten this much time off," she replied rising to her pedes.

"True," the mech got up as well, grinning, "Just don't let him get your mood down."

"No worries, if he starts to do that, I'm sure Windy will give me a little something to smile at," she waved at him before heading inside.

_I'm not sure I will. You deserve the silent treatment for saying I'm like Miko. _

_Aww come on, don't be such a sourpuss._

_Humph. _

_You can't not talk to me, you know. You've got to help with the tech stuff too. You know more than I do._

_Perhaps you should have thought of that before you insulted me._

Entering the hanger, the femme scoffed lightly._ It's not that bad. _

Windy did not reply again, deciding to remain silent, earning a good natured roll of the femme's optics.

"Hey, Vi, come check out our new place! Isn't it great?" Miko called over.

The young humans had set up an area for themselves on a raised platform much like at the old base. This one was larger though, sporting a two seater and a three seater couch, a TV plus a table where Rafael currently sat with his laptop. Jack was just inserting the last plug into the TV, while Miko was staked out on a couch.

"So whadya think?" The girl asked as the purple femme stood next to the platform looking it over.

"I think I'm a little jealous," she admitted earning smiles from the humans.

Jack stepped away from the TV and turned to her. "It's our home away from home and looking better than the old base."

"Violetwind!" snapped Ratchet growing impatient with her dawdling.

"Um, I guess, I'm needed. Later, guys," she quickly excused herself and made her way over to the medic's side. "Sorry, Ratchet."

He merely grunted and began talking about the job at hand, "Since you're going to be remaining at the base with me during missions I want you to be familiar with everything. You should know how it all works so that you'll be able to repair it if need be. I could also use a medical assistant, if you're up for learning that too."

It felt a little overwhelming but she nodded, "Ok, Ratchet. I don't know how useful I'll be but I'll try."

"Let's get started." The mech explained each part they worked on as they started assembling a new ground bridge using parts retrieved from the Decepticion warship the _Harbinger_.

While they worked, Ratchet glanced over at the femme, his gaze the softest it had been since starting on their project. "Violetwind, I would like to keep checking your processor. To continue monitoring your condition."

_No._

Not taking her optics off her task she replied, "I don't think that's necessary, Ratchet. I mean, we know what was odd now. So there's no need to keep that up, right?."

Putting down his tools, the medic turned his full attention to her. "I am still concerned for your health. We don't know what this sort of thing is like. We don't know the full extent of the trauma it might cause."

_No. Be firm. It's a no. It's untested and shall stay that way. _

With a sigh, the femme stopped working, letting her arms lower. "Look, Ratchet. I'd rather not have too much of it documented either. You know how devastating it could be if anyone got their hands on this kind of stuff. Besides, I'm fine. Windy's fine. Everything's working." She smiled pleasantly up at him. "And I'll be sure to let you know if something goes amiss."

As she went back to her work, Ratchet frowned, still not convinced. "But just let me do at least one."

"No," she replied firmly. "The answer is still no."

The medic did not press any further, knowing it was not currently getting him anywhere. Though, he was not about to give up on the matter entirely. He knew that it would be best to keep an optic on things. Hopefully, with time, she would relent and allow him to perform a scan, barring that he considered finding another way.

They did not speak of it further as they worked, exchanging words only when necessary. The building process took the rest of the day and well into he night but by morning they had created a – hopefully working – ground bridge; set up on the far side of the hanger, close to Ratchet's workstation.

It was here, with tools still in her hands, Violetwind sat slumped against the bench in recharge. The medic had decided to leave her be, after noticing that she had nodded off in the early hours of the morning just before the sun tried to peek out from behind the horizon.

Optimus wandered over to the medic, speaking quietly, "How soon before our ground bridge is fully operational?"

Ratchet looked up at him, "Not long. Once Rafael is ready we shall prepare for a test run."

"And?" The leader turned his gaze to the sleeping femme.

Following the mech's optics, he let out a small vent of air, a slight smile slipping onto his face. "She's learning quickly. It wore her out working so long, I think. Figured I'd let her rest and finish myself."

"A wise decision. Something perhaps you should consider for yourself," Prime suggested, showing concern over the old medic.

Quickly brushing him off, Ratchet replied, "I'll be fine, Optimus. Wouldn't still be around if I couldn't handle going without a bit of recharge."

"Just make certain you do not over exert yourself, old friend."

The mech did not reply, remaining silent in thought. When he did speak, his voice was laced with worry. "Optimus, she won't let me check her processor. It's such an untested science. I fear it may end up doing them harm."

Letting out a deep groan, he knew Ratchet was concerned about Violetwind's double mind but he also knew not much could be done if it went against her will. "If she does not wish it, I do not believe you could force it upon her. Perhaps, just give her some time. She may come around."

"And if she doesn't?"

"We hope that nothing develops..."

The pair fell into silence hoping that no harm would come the purple femme who had found herself a part of their team and a part of their sparks.

However the quiet moment was interrupted by a small voice calling out from behind the pair. "Hey, Ratchet! I'm ready to test out the ground bridge when you are."

"Ah, Raf, good. Let's get stated then, shall we?"

The boy stood on the raised platform, looking up expectantly at the bots, a remote control car in his hands. He hoped their test would end in success. Getting the ground bridge up and running was necessary if they were to effectively combat any trouble the Decepticons might cause.

Reaching out his hand, Optimus offered it to Rafael for the boy to climb on. He quickly did so, planting himself carefully so as to not fall over. Walking over to the ground bridge, the mech made slow deliberate movements so as to not jostle the boy too much. Slowly he lowered him and the remote controlled car down so they could test the device.

Placing the car down so that it was facing the right direction, the boy readjusted his glasses before calling out to the medic. "Alright, Ratchet. Let's do it."

With a nod in reply, he set the coordinates and opened the vortex. Just as they had hoped the familiar glowing green and blue tunnel appeared but they were only half done. Next they had to make sure it was safe for travel.

Driving the small car forward, Raf aimed for the new ground bridge. If the small vehicle made it through they would be able to detect it using the global positioning system they installed accompanying the long range control.

They waited with baited breath, attentions focused on the small vehicle as it drove into the vortex and disappeared into the tunnel without fault.

After a few moments of tense silence Ratchet declared, "Sensors have successfully picked it up on the other side of the globe! It works! Bring it back, Raf!"

"Yes!" The boy cheered with a fist pump. Happily he put the remote controlled car into reverse and it soon re-emerged from the ground bridge, undamaged.

The slight commotion had roused Violetwind from her nap. Blinking open her optics, she groaned as she slowly sat up, "What's going on?"

"I believe congratulations are in order. You have performed admirably, Ratchet, Violetwind and also Rafael, for assisting," Optimus praised warmly.

The femme perked up, grinning happily. "The ground bridge works?"

"It does," the mech confirmed.

"Ratchet, the ground bridge works! I helped build a ground bridge!"

Amused by her excitement, the medic smiled. "I noticed. You did well for your first time."

While the others went about packing up Windy spoke, _Hey, now that we've got a ground bridge perhaps we could use Ultra Magnus' ship._

_What for?_ she absent-mindedly questioned, still focused on how she had helped build something.

_Well, I was thinking that we could go and fetch Elite One and the other femmes from the planet I left them on. We could do with some extra fighters and they're some of the best. I'm sure it would be great to add to our numbers. _

_Hey, that would be good. _

_So how about it? You gonna speak to Optimus?_

_Sure, why not, I guess? Couldn't hurt right? _

Optimus had already walked off and was currently talking with Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack. "With the ground bridge currently functional I would like you to scour the remains of our previous base. Be mindful of anything that may prove useful."

"Yes, Optimus," the officer replied respectfully.

"We'll make sure we don't leave any stone unturned," added the Wrecker with a smirk.

"Good. Ratchet," turning to the medic Prime called out, "please set the ground bridge coordinates."

With a nod, he entered the desired numbers into the console and started up the swirling tunnel.

The pair left and Violetwind took her chance to talk with their leader. Approaching him, she called out softly, "Uh, Optimus?"

Turning to her, he acknowledged the femme. "Yes, Violetwind? Was there something you desired to discuss with me?"

"Actually there was. You see, well, Windy brought up the idea of using Ultra Magnus' ship to go and fetch Elita One and the rest of the team. Since, you know, we have the ground bridge to quickly get around Earth now."

Watching his reaction she saw something happen behind his optics. She noticed spark clenching fear, not something the femme ever thought she would see from the Prime. It was hidden well but it was there nonetheless and it confused her. Surely a trip across space was not _that_ hazardous, after all, Ultra Magnus and Windy had done it to get there.

"No." Optimus responded simply, not offering any kind of explanation.

"But-"

"No," he repeated firmly, turning away from her and walking off, leaving her in a state of confusion.

_Why fragging not?! _

Letting out a gasp of shock, Violetwind gathered up her senses and followed after him. "Optimus, I don't understand. Wouldn't it be beneficial if we had more Bots? I know it would probably get a little crowded in here but I'm sure we could manage."

Heaving a deep sigh the mech paused, his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "I... I do not believe our energon supplies would support an increase to our numbers."

_Slag that, tell him that we could fill the ship with whatever the team has collected. That planet had energon deposits and the gals would have collected plenty!_

"But Optimus that wouldn't be a problem. Windy says there was energon there too and we could bring it back with us. Might even _help _our energon supply if we could bring a lot back."

Sighing again, he looked over at the femme. He had not wished to divulge the real reason behind the lack of action to fetch the others but Violetwind was proving persistent. Then again he supposed he was up against two stubborn femmes when it came to her. Glancing over at the other Bots, he made sure none were within hearing distance before speaking, "I do not wish to bring them here and get them involved in more fighting. You have said before they are safe where they reside and I desire for it to remain that way."

_Ah, I see. _

"I don't."

The mech looked at her curiously as she responded verbally to Windy. "You do not what?"

"I apparently don't see what Windy does. And I don't get why you wouldn't want more help fighting the Cons."

Optimus closed his optics, taking in a deep vent of air. Letting it out slowly, he looked down at her once again. "There are simply moments when a leader must make... certain... decisions."

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "But what has that got to do with adding to our ranks?"

_Vi, drop it._

"But-," she whined softly, "humph." The femme clenched her fists in slight frustration but did not press the matter further.

The mech gazed upon her with sad optics. "Please, Violetwind. Let the questions rest, do not speak of them again. I ask that you do not mention this to the others."

Although she did not like it, she nodded. "Yes, Optimus."

As their conversation came to a close, Agent Fowler exited his office. Standing on the raised walkway he yelled out, "We've gotten reports of possible Decepticon activity."

Optimus was quick to step up and claim the job for himself. "I shall investigate."

"I'll come with you," Bulkhead offered as he walked over to join him.

"No, I shall go alone."

The green mech was surprised by the flat out refusal, trying again "You sure? It's not like it'll be any trouble."

"I am certain. I shall be able to search the area effectively on my own with the use of flight."

"Ok then," the mech nodded, not about to ask again if Optimus did not want him there.

Gathering the coordinates from Agent Fowler, the Autobot leader left the base in search of his quarry.

Staring after the mech, Arcee wondered out loud, "What's up with him?"

"I donno." Bulkhead glanced over at Violetwind, "What where you guys talking about anyway? Did something upset him?"

The femme looked in the green mech's direction before glancing after Optimus briefly and then returning her gaze to the mech. He had asked her not to talk about it so she would respect him in that. "Uh, nothing much." She pointed over at Ratchet's work bench, "Well, if you excuse me, I've got stuff to do."

With that the femme quickly scurried off, delving into her work and leaving the Bots to themselves.

Arcee folded her arms, muttering sarcastically, "Well they're not hiding anything."

Approaching them Bumblebee beeped, _'If it was something we needed to know they would have told us. Probably best just to leave it alone.' _

"You're right, Bee. No point going after it. Let's see if the kids wanna play some games," Bulkhead waved a hand and started to wander over to the human youth, the scout behind trailing him chirping excitedly able being able to beat anyone who tried to come up against him.

The blue femme remained silent not following her companions. Instead she pondered what might have set the usually calm leader off.

Having dodged the questions directed at her conversation with Optimus, Violetwind pretended to vigorously work on fixing a small piece of machinery. It was not until she was sure they were no longer paying any attention to her that she breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down to actually pay attention to what she was doing. As she started to properly work on fixing the small device, which happened to be a spare component for the ground bridge, the femme silently questioned her inner self.

_So, you noticed something there that I didn't, right? What w__s it?__a_

_It's not that complicated. Gossip about it went round during the war but it wasn't really something that I paid much to at the time. Wasn't interested in that sort of thing._

_What? _

_Oh right. Well the rumour was that Optimus and Elita One had feelings for one other. That perhaps they might even become sparkmates. _

_What's a sparkmate?_ she asked, confused by the term.

_Ah right. You wouldn't know about this. Well you see, it's sort of like human marriages. Only it's much deeper than just getting paired up. Sparkmates are joined for life through the bonding of their very sparks. It's like the merging of two souls. It's said to be a wonderful thing to find your life partner. They can practically read each other's emotions even when they're not in the same place. _

_Wow. That does sound great. So... so Optimus and Elita were dating then?_

_I don't believe it was anything official, but yeah. _

_Why doesn't he want to just bring her back here then? I would have thought he would love to see her again if he does have feelings for her. _

_Perhaps if he were anyone else, maybe, but he's Optimus Prime. This war rests on his shoulders. He can't let feelings get in the way of his judgement. And I don't think he wants to risk her getting hurt. If it's true that he does care for that much, he couldn't risk it. _

Violetwind let out a small whine of sadness for the mech. _It would suck to have to be like that. _

_Yeah, it would..._

~oOo~

Soaring high above the land, floating in the skies, Optimus headed for the coordinates of the possible Decepticon activity. It was suspected to be drilling activity, hopefully an energon deposit they could claim from their enemies. However, his current goal was not what plagued the leader's mind.

His thoughts revolved around the conversation he had with Violetwind. The femme had meant well and he knew that but... It had affected him more than he would have thought possible. Just the mention of her name had brought back memories and stirred up long forgotten feelings. Their last goodbye had been so brief, cut short by the necessity to flee their dying planet amongst the battle. His spark had been torn at the time, only wanting to hold her close forever and yet knowing he had to lead his troops in the escape.

Even now, the ache in his spark would not let up. However, Optimus knew he could not bring her here. To him, loving her meant more than just wanting to be with her. It meant wanting to do anything he could to protect her. He would give his life to know that she was safe.

"Elita One..." he murmured to himself, despite no one being around to hear him, "Forgive me for waiting and not coming to find you. But I could not drag you back into this war. And I will never again allow Megatron to use you in order to get to me."

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Hope you enjoyed it!  
I've added a link in my profile to a picture I did of when Vi fell asleep while she was working if you wanted to check that out. I had to do something for it, the scene amused me.


	2. Chapter 2

Big thanks to those people already showing interest in this story!

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Chapter 2

Later that day Ultra Magnus called in from the wreck of their old base. **::**We have thoroughly searched the remains and are ready to return.**::**

"Opening up a ground bridge for you now," the medic replied, pressing a few keys on his control panel.

Hearing that the two mechs would be returning from their old base, four Bot's heads perked up from their various tasks to amuse themselves. Violetwind got up from where she had been leaning against the back wall playing with a piece of cord trying to work out how to make 'Jacob's ladder' with a 'cat's cradle' string and the help of Windy from her memories. Bulkhead had been getting in some recharge in vehicle mode, transforming as he awoke to wander closer, interested in seeing what Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack might have brought back, though still a little groggy. Bumblebee and Arcee put a halt to their light sparring session to take a few steps towards where the ground bridge was about to open. The only bot unaccounted for, other than Optimus, was Smokescreen. He seemed to have vanished, though no one seemed to particularly miss his absence except for the purple femme.

The humans were just as interested as the Bots. Jack and Miko stood atop one of the walkways along the side of the building. From there they could easily see the vortex as Ratchet opened it up. Rafael was sitting with his laptop, monitoring the technology for any discrepancies in their newly constructed ground bridge.

The younger human nodded to himself as things were going well. Turing to the medic he yelled over, "Return trajectory fluctuations have been stabilised."

Acknowledging this Ratchet called into the comm, "Ultra Magnus, we are ready to receive you."

In response the truck himself rolled through the vortex. On his back he carried a single energon cube. Walking up, Bumblebee picked up the cube to add to their meagre supply. Now free from his burden, the mech transformed immediately reporting, "We didn't find much else in the rubble of the former base."

Walking through behind him, Wheeljack held up a large metal ball with blue Cybertronian markings on it. "You call this, not much else?"

Twirling the ball momentarily on his finger, the mech let it rest in his hands only long enough to aim at his target: Bulkhead. Wheeljack pelted the lobbing ball at his fellow Wrecker. Unfortunately still slightly asleep the green mech's reaction time was not fast enough and the ball bounced off his chest plates, headed straight for Miko and Jack.

Seeing the giant ball coming their way at an alarming rate, the boy quickly threw himself and Miko to the side. They escaped its path just before it smashed into the wall behind where they had been standing. Unfortunately that wall also happened to contain the door to Agent Fowler's office.

Ratchet's optics lit up with fury. "Wheeljack!" he practically roared, "You could have caused serious damage!"

Getting up from where Jack had pushed her down, Miko angrily placed her hands on her hips to glare at the mech and, in a way, continued Ratchet's yell, "Ta me!"

From behind the ball and the smashed door they heard the liaison mutter, "What in the Sam hill?" It was not a few moments later that he opened the broken door to stare straight at the large obstruction. "A little help here?"

Nobody moved to help the man though. Jack and Miko merely glanced at each other, the girl shrugging her shoulders. The ball was bigger than them, neither would be able to shift it. And seeing as no other Bot was going to, Violetwind walked over, the cord still stuck in the joints of her right hand.

"What were you thinking, soldier?" growled Ultra Magnus at the mech who had been the cause of the trouble.

Wheeljack gestured to Bulkhead, replying with a grin. "I was thinking Bulk would catch that lob."

As Violetwind removed the obstruction from Fowler's office, the commander went on to scold the white mech. "Allow me to make myself clear. As Optimus Prime's second in command, I have no intention of tolerating Wrecker behaviour."

Rolling his optics Wheeljack grunted, "Some things never change."

By now the purple femme had the lobbing ball in her hands and had turned back to watch the confrontation in silence like everyone else in the room. For once, Fowler wisely let the Bots settle it for themselves.

Only Bulkhead was willing to possibly get involved, speaking to his friend in a warning tone, "Jacky..."

Ultra Magnus continued his rant towards the mech, "Need I remind you that it was Optimus Prime himself who assigned me to command you Wreckers back on Cybertron and get you loose canons under control. An effective combat unit begins with discipline. If you won't accept that, feel free to choose the path of least resistance, as you did before."

Looking back up at him with defiance Wheeljack replied sharply, "If my ship weren't a twisted wreck at present, I'd do that, _Sir_." Done with being told off, the mech walked away, leaving the hanger.

The commander let out a small groan before turning to Ratchet. "Where is Optimus?"

"He's investigating recent Decepticon activity. Hopefully an energon mine," the medic replied.

With a nod, Ultra Magnus moved on, busying himself with another task. While the orange and white bot took one of the small machines to work on to make use of his time.

Over by the side, Violetwind was still carrying the lobbing ball. She tilted her head curiously as she looked upon it. Unlike the human toys it was quite large, being about the size if her chest, and because of that was also quite heavy. Experimentally she gave it a little toss upwards but it barely left her hands.

_Did you ever play this 'lobbing'?_ she questioned.

_Not really. Never had much time for that sort of thing. _

The femme silently wondered what the game was like to play as Miko and her guardian talked with Ratchet about the Forge of Solus Prime and how useful it might have been if its power had not been depleted. Before Violetwind had a chance to interrupt them and ask about the game, there was the roar of a revving engine outside drawing the eyes and optics of those in the hanger.

Driving through the hanger doors came a blue car with white and yellow stripes down it and number 7's on the doors. It swerved, spinning a few times before coming to stop in front of where Miko, Bulkhead and Arcee were standing.

Staring down at the vehicle, the blue femme muttered with a little surprise, "Smokescreen?"

Putting the ball down, Violetwind quickly joined them as the mech transformed. It was then she noticed the cord still stuck in her fingers and with some embarrassment, frantically tried to remove it while the others were focused on the rookie. After unsuccessfully tugging for a moment, she flung her hand about to loosen it. The string chose that moment to break free and was cast across the room. Turning away, she nonchalantly joined the others, acting like nothing had happened.

"Aww, what gave me away?" the mech whined as he transformed.

He was only met with a raised optic ridge from Arcee.

Shrugging his shoulders he grinned, "Robots in disguise, right?"

Having also walked over, Ultra Magnus looked down sternly at the young mech. "Where've you been, soldier?"

Not losing his grin, he answered, "Scanning new war paint."

"So that's where you've been all morning?" Violetwind looked with interest at his new colours not sure if she liked them that much. There had been something nice about his old ones, yet the blue suited him.

The commander glanced her way to give her a stern look for interrupting. Catching his optic, the femme shrunk back, door wings bending downward feeling nervous under his gaze. She could swear he had a look that could rival Megatron's sometimes.

Before the tall mech could get in a word, however, Smokescreen nodded at her and continued, "Thought it'd be proactive to follow Optimus' lead. And Bumblebee's." He gestured over to the scout as he placed the energon cube over in the corner.

_'Well, you're new look suits you.'_ he chirped.

Ultra Magnus was not impressed however. "Now you can look your best while stacking those empty crates."

Looking over at the empty energon containers, his face fell and door wings drooped a little. Obediently he muttered, "Yes, Sir." Stalking off, he muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"What was that about a Prime?" questioned Ratchet, having caught a little of the rookie's mumble.

Immediately turning back to the medic he nervously corrected, "Uh, no. Time. Time to stop acting like a rookie."

He proceeded to do as the commander asked, collecting the empty energon crates and slowly stacking them neatly atop one another. Seeing his lack of enthusiasm and thinking he might like a bit of cheering up, Violetwind decided she would go and talk to him. As she started over she caught word of Arcee and Ratchet discussing the mech and curiosity got he better of her. So of course, she momentarily delayed her quest in order to listen in.

"Smokescreen was the only one who went back. It it weren't for him..." the blue femme's gaze dropped to the floor disheartened at the thought she brought up, "Optimus might not be with us today..."

Ratchet looked up from the object he was tinkering with to send a somewhat comforting glance her way. "Arcee, we were under the strictest of orders. The three of you had your human partners to protect."

The eavesdropping femme nodded her head in silent agreement.

With a soft sigh, the medic continued, "Even I... Even I was not alone." Ratchet regretted the way things had gone, not believing Violetwind as he should, but it was not the focus of their conversation so he let it be. "But, we are fortunate that Smokescreen is inexperienced enough to not have followed protocol."

"Yes, we are..." Arcee agreed.

"Violet?" a voice came from behind the femme.

Whirling around in embarrassment, her optics fell on the voice's owner, Rafael. The youth stood on the walkway and looked up at her with his head tilted but did not say a word.

"Hi, Raf," she said, perhaps a little too cheerily. "Um, so what are you up to?"

Lifting up the laptop charger in his hands, he answered, "Just fetching this. I need to have power to continue removing pictures of you guys from the internet. What were you doing?"

"I..." Violetwind realised she could not lie to the boy, it did not feel right. It was not like he was accusing her of anything anyway, even though perhaps he should have. She knew Miko would. So with a small sight the femme quietly admitted, "I was, kinda listening in to Arcee and Ratchet."

The boy smiled in amusement, adjusting his glasses. "I thought so. You weren't doing a very good job at hiding it."

Letting out a groan, her door wings slumped in defeat. "Well, seems like I have great eavesdropping skills then."

_Haha, you don't say,_ Windy laughed.

_Not helping. _

Chuckling softly, Rafael shook his head. "I suggest busying yourself with something next time so it's not so obvious."

"Thanks, Raf," she smiled at him gratefully. "You're a champ. I'll let you get on with keeping our faces from the public eye."

With a grin, he waved his free hand. "Bye, Violet."

Giving a small wave in reply, she turned and headed over to where Smokescreen was finishing up with the boxes. He was just placing the last one neatly onto the stack when she reached him.

A little unsure of what to say she went with the first thing that came to mind. "Um, hey, don't let Ultra Magnus get you down."

Glancing over at her, he grunted, "Yeah, I know." Resting a hand on the crate he rubbed his finger over the top, staring at it like it was the most important thing in the world. "Do you ever wonder what it might have been like if something had gone differently?"

She vented, the small noise noise something akin to a human snort and rolled her optics. "All the time." Stepping closer to stand in front of him, her gaze was soft, "But, you know, sometimes things turn out for the better anyway. And don't ever undervalue yourself, Smokescreen. I know that despite how things seem, the others appreciate what you do."

He looked to her, "Really?"

"Really," she affirmed with a nod. "Optimus owes you his life and for that we all owe you. We certainly wouldn't be here right now otherwise," the femme gestured to the hanger. "You helped make this possible, so no moping."

Smokescreen smirked, a teasing light in his optics, "You're right. When did you get so smart anyway? Is Windy telling you the secrets to the universe?"

She scoffed in mock offence. "Do you think I need her for everything?"

_Well I am pretty useful,_ she interrupted proudly. _I don't know what you'd do without me._

The mech laughed, countering, "How do I know you don't?"

"I-" she tried to reply but she could not come up with a good comeback. It did not help that Windy was now snickering away in the back of her mind.

Her stunted reply, only made the mech laugh harder. Now pouting, Violetwind clenched her fists in frustration. "Hey, that's not fair, stop it!"

"Lighten up, Vi. I'm only teasing."

She continued to frown at him, still not pleased with being laughed at.

Seeing as she was still being stern about it, he let a lopsided smirk slide onto his face. "Chill, would ya. Don't make me force you to smile. You know I will."

Violetwind rolled her optics and folded her arms, looking at him with an expression that dare him to try. "As if you could."

"Challenge accepted. Let's see if we can't get a smile on that face." Stepping forward the mech poked at her side, causing her to flinch away, hand automatically moving to protect the spot.

"Hey," she muttered in protest.

Still grinning, he reached out and poked her again. Sneaking through her defences, he poked a finger at her stomach plating. It earned his hand a slap as she backed away, a tiny grin trying to peak out on her face.

"Almost had ya," he taunted, hand darting forward again.

This time she let out a light squeal and smiled as she tried to resist him. "Smoke, stop that."

"Ha, there we go. We got a hint of a smile there," he declared proudly.

Wiping the happy expression off her face, Violetwind narrowed her optics in a glare, trying to be more serious. This only served to amuse the mech further as he let out a chuckle. Stepping towards her once more, he swiftly poked at her stomach plates.

The femme giggled despite doing her best not to find amusement in the action, but his silly, playful behaviour was making it hard not to laugh. "I said stop that."

Smokecreen was not about to listen though. His optics danced with a teasing light, as he darted forward, fingers outstretched. However, this time she was ready for him. Quickly sweeping his hands to the side with one arm, she used the other to give him a mighty shove. Unprepared, the mech fell backward, tumbling into the empty energon crates with an almighty crash.

The loud disturbance caught everyone's attention. Violetwind's hands raised to her mouth, in horror. She had only meant to get him away from her a little not cause him to fall. Now everyone was staring at them. The femme felt so embarrassed, wishing she could just become invisible.

However, such a wish was not to be granted. Just as Smokescreen was lifting himself out of the crates, Ultra Magnus strode over, his face set in a stern frown.

"Smokescreen, I told you to stack those crates not lie in them."

"Sorry, sir," he sat up, removing one of the crates from his lap.

"I- it was my fault, sir. I kinda pushed him. Please don't blame Smokescreen," the femme, fearfully spoke up, feeling guilty for getting her friend in trouble.

The commander turned to her, his intimidating gaze resting on her smaller frame. "And what was the reason for this?"

Shifting nervously on her pedes, she could not bring her optics to meet his. They had just been mucking around, but she was sure he frowned upon such actions and had no desire to earn an even harsher look.

Standing up, Smokescreen cleared his vocalisers, "Sir, we were just practising a little with a small spar. Can't have too much practice, right?"

The femme glanced at him, grateful for the rescue.

Ultra Magnus grunted, his gaze switching between the two Bots before him. The excuse was, of course, a lie; he had not been created yesterday. The mech frowned upon such frivolous behaviour as the pair had been conducting, acting like young bots just out of the All Spark. Such nonsense did not belong in their ranks. It was bad enough having to deal with Wheeljack and his reckless behaviour but now he had to deal with this immature pair.

With a deep sigh, he spoke gruffly, having decided that the best thing to do would be to separate them for the time being, "Smokescreen, clear up these crates like you were supposed to. Violetwind, go help Ratchet.

With humble nods, they moved off to accomplish their assigned tasks. Glancing back as she left, the purple femme offered an apologetic glance at Smokescreen. He merely offered a comforting smile in return. Personally he found it a little amusing thinking to himself, _Seems like we get into trouble together even without the Cons. _

Violetwind was just glad he was not mad at her for getting them in trouble, even if it was just a little bit. Feeling better thanks to his smile, she made her way over to where Ratchet was hunched over a project. "Um, so, what can I do for you?"

The medic had been watching the incident just like everyone else in the hanger and as such was not surprised by her presence, despite not appearing to have even been paying attention. Without taking his gaze off the piece of machinery in his hands, he waved in the direction of his work bench. "Fetch me some cords and wires."

"Ok," she muttered. Moving over to the bench, she glanced though the various odds and ends found upon its surface, searching for the objects the mech asked for. It was not a few moments later when she spotted some cords near the back. Standing on the tips of her pedes she leaned over, outstretched fingers trying to grasp the items just out of her reach.

Realising that this would not work she, quickly scanned the other objects for something that would allow her to extend her reach. What she decided upon was a stiff thin metal pole. She was not sure of its original purpose, but she did not need to know, only requiring it temporarily.

With her new tool in hand, Violetwind stretched out her arm once again. Using it, she managed to reach the cords, hooking them onto the pole. Grinning in triumph she brought them over, sliding them off into her free hand. Finished with the metal pole, she tossed it carelessly back onto the pile of junk on the table, denting the object and breaking a piece of glass in the process.

A frustrated huff came from behind her. "Violetwind, I needed that!"

Flinching, she slowly turned to Ratchet. "Sorry..."

The mech groaned, shaking his head before returning to work.

"But I got the cords you wanted..." she tried to lighten up the mood with a _little_ good news.

However, interrupting the awkward quiet was an incoming comm call from Optimus Prime. **::**Ratchet, I require a ground bridge.**::**

"Of course, Optimus," the medic replied.

The glowing vortex opened up and their leader stepped out, something in his hands. Everyone looked towards him with interest, curious to what he had brought back.

"Did you find energon?" questioned Ratchet hopefully.

"No. But I did uncover, this," he placed what looked like a large skull onto an empty platform.

Seeing the object, Ratchet's optics widened. "It cannot be..." He walked over to get a better look, his face still showing shock and amazement.

On top of the walkway, Jack watched them with confusion. "Be what?"

"The ancient remains of a Predacon," their leader supplied.

_Predacons... _

The purple femme's optic ridges pinched with confusion, not understanding the significance along with their young human companions.

Ratchet went on, "Though it remains unclear why such a skull would be found on your planet, its presence reveals all too much about the Predacon which Megatron sent in pursuit of us."

Pulling herself onto the platform where the bone now rested, Miko placed one hand on her hip,while she gestured to the air with the other. "You mean that dragon bot we put on ice?"

The medic grimaced, "Except that Predacons have been extinct since, well..."

"Since before most life began on Cybertron," Smokescreen finished for him.

_Until someone tampers with it..._

_What are you talking about? _

However Windy remained silent, her strange utterings going momentarily unanswered as Raf joined the conversation, commenting, "They're like Earth's dinosaurs."

Dipping his head in thought, Jack added, "Which means, for you, running into one would be like us meeting a T-rex."

"So, then what are Dinobots?" the human girl wondered.

_Another tale of the sadistic scientist. _

Bulkhead waved his hand dismissively. "Totally different."

_Seriously, what are you going on about?!_ The femme let out a small huff of frustration.

_Slaggin' Shockwave. _

_What about him?_

_He- he created the Dinobots. _She could hear the distress in her inner companion's voice, but did not understand.

_Ok, so he made them. I don't get it. _

_He was fragging monster! He used some captured Autobots to do it! Shockwave changed them... And I don't just mean he added a few parts to them. He really changed them. From the inside out. It... It was a terrible painful process. I'm glad I had already left by then... _

Violetwind felt a cold chill run down her backstrut, her own imagination taking over a little. It was a terrible thing to think about. Thankfully she did not get the chance to ponder it further as the others continued to talk.

Ratchet mused aloud, "With Megatron seeing new interest in the excavation of prehistoric skeletons and a certain scientist back among the Decepticon ranks..."

"It would stand to reason that Shockwave cloned the beast from such a find," Optimus concluded.

"Shockwave, sounds like a sick bastard," the purple femme muttered under her breath.

_Sick and twisted,_ her inner counterpart agreed.

The conversation continued above her as Ultra Magnus spoke, "And now Megatron's looking to clone another."

"What makes you think Buckethead would stop at just one?" Wheeljack highlighted what could potentially be a possible problem.

The large green mech shook his head gravely, "We could have beast wars on our hands."

"And if Shockwave only requires a single strand of CNA from which to clone a beast..." Ratchet muttered with worry.

Optimus finished the thought, "He already possess what he needs to engender this one. Autobots, we must become beast hunters."

Breaking in, Smokescreen brought up a thought which puzzled him, "One thing still doesn't follow. Predacons went extinct on Cybertron, so what would their bones be doing here?"

_I reckon I could answer that._ Windy quickly explained to Violetwind what she believed may have happened.

While she did so, Ratchet wandered over to his computer, bringing up all the information they had about Predacons. The humans made their way over to the railing beside the monitors to get a better look.

Upon seeing the pictures Jack pointed out with surprise, "But those are metal versions of our Greek mythology and medieval literature."

"Not dinosaurs," the younger boy added, hands resting on the railing.

Violetwind cleared her vocalisers to gather attention to her. "Um, seeing as, well, you all seem stumped, Windy has offered an explanation."

_'What is it?'_ The scout asked curiously.

"Back when she was working under Shockwave, he had been cloning beings from ancient CNA. She doesn't know for sure but at the time there had been rumours about Shockwave sending his creations off-world to guard energon deposits. That might be what they're doing here. Earth might be one of the places he sent them. It certainly explains why our ancient civilisations have such strange beasts in their lore."

Optimus nodded in agreement. "It stands to reason that the Predacons did indeed walk upon this earth in ancient times. And, as you have suggested, Violetwind, they seem to have been the basis for much of humankind's folklore, illustrating once again that the pasts of Earth and Cybertron are inexplicably linked..."

* * *

Sorry, not sorry for any fluff in this chapter!  
But definitely one of my favourite chapters, even without it, cause of Vi and that string. XD


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Night had fallen over the military base and with it most of the residents. It was quiet in the Autobot's hanger as well. Over half of the mechanic beings had slipped into recharge in their vehicle modes to conserve space since they lacked the room for a berth each. Even the human children lacked beds to sleep in.

The three young ones had taken up spots on the couches. Rafael lay on his stomach, glasses in one hand as he slept on the two seater. While the three seater couch held Miko and Jack. The former was sleeping on her side, using the arm rest for a pillow. The latter slept sitting somewhat upright, head thrown back with arms lazily left at his sides.

Watching the three sleep, Violetwind smiled thinking they all looked rather cute like that. She did wish they could have better sleeping arrangements though. Couches do not make good beds.

Turing away from the trio she stepped away from the main platform. The sun would be rising soon enough and she did not want to accidentally disturb them. Instead she went over to Ratchet. The medic was always busy with something, so her hopes of getting stuck into a project would likely be granted.

"Anything I can help you with, Ratchet?" she asked cheerily.

Glancing her way, he grunted, nodding towards the screen. "What do you and Windy know about Synthetic Energon?"

Stepping closer she looked over the formulas and chemical composition, admitting, "I for one don't know much, just... Um, I was told a little bit of when you used it..."

The medic's face became dark, optics narrowing although not at her. "It was unfinished then. And no one shall be testing it until we are sure that it is complete."

Realising that he did not wish to talk about the experience she nodded, not speaking of it further. Instead she asked after what Windy knew of the Synthetic Energon.

_Hmm,_ her companion muttered,_ well I can't say I know a lot. There was often talk in the scientific community about there supposedly being a way to manufacture Energon. But personally I had been doubtful. Though if we can get this to work, I guess I'll have to change my thoughts on that. So, basically, no to the Doc. _

"Sorry, Ratchet. Windy doesn't know anything either."

"Suppose I'll just have to teach you all I've learnt so far so you can properly aid me."

For the rest of the early morning they worked on the Synthetic Energon. Ratchet taught her all he could about the substance: from the uncompleted formula to the manufacture of his small sample.

During their work, Ratchet paused to turn to the femme. He had promised himself that he would persist in trying to get her to allow him to scan her processor. "Violetwind." She glanced up at him and he continued. "I ask again, please let me scan you. I will get it one way or another."

_Slag no!_ Yelled Windy.

Violetwind shook her helm. "No, Ratchet. You already asked and you're getting the same answer. No. Can we just focus on the Synthetic Energon."

With a sigh the medic hung his head. It had been worth a try. _I will not let up, Violetwind. I will do what's necessary to make sure you two are alright. _

By the time the sun had risen over the horizon they pair were still working on the formula but will little the sun up, Optimus came out of his recharge and returned to robot mode. However, he lacked the distinct drowsiness that accompanied most just waking up. The mech had been watching and listening, simply contemplating their current situation against the Decepticons.

Seeing Ratchet and Violetwind at work, he wandered over. With just a quick glance at what they were up to he deduced what was going on. "Synthetic Energon?"

"Indeed," turning from his work the medic continued, "I am concerned that without access to any energon reserves since our base was destroyed our ability to deal with impending crisis will be severely hampered."

"A wise decision, old friend."

"You really think we'll be in that much trouble? Surely we'll find something soon right?" Violetwind questioned, worry evident in her voice.

Letting out a small sigh, Ratchet muttered, "Yes. Our supply is dangerously low as it is..."

"We must have hope that we will be able to obtain access to a new energon deposit soon."

The femme nodded in solemn understanding, "So we really do need to make this work, huh?"

"We do." Though the medic was still doubtful of his ability to complete the formula. "Just please, manage your expectations." He gestured to the table scattered with broken human technology, including speakers, old monitors and other electrical equipment. "I am working with even more rudimentary hardware than before."

"Hey, at least you've got help," the femme smiled, trying to look on he bright side.

A shout came from the walkway outside of Agent Fowler's office. "Prime!"

The trio turned to see the man himself staring up at them.

"Satellite surveillance has detected two signs of Decepticon activity. One near a field outside of El Paso, the other near the Hebrides Bluffs in Scotland. So don't forget to pack your kilts."

The shouts from the man had woken the other bots from recharge. Having returned to robot mode they looked expectantly over at Optimus. He was not about to disappoint as he swiftly gave out an order. "We must divide our resources. Ultra Magnus, lead the Wreckers to the bluffs. Bumblebee, Smokescreen and I will investigate the oil fields."

"Yes, Optimus," the commander replied. After a pause he glanced around and approached the taller mech, keeping his voice low in slight embarrassment at not fully understanding the human, "What's a kilt?"

The Prime's optics glanced at Agent Fowler, then at Ultra Magnus before looking away again and leaning a little closer, keeping quiet, "Agent Fowler at times can be oblique." He looked back at the mech, "I find it best to simply nod and mobilise."

He nodded in understanding and turned to the Wreckers, barking out a command, "Bulkhead, Wheeljack. Let's roll out."

Before they even had a chance to reply, he walked off, leaving them a little bewildered. Only Wheeljack managed to even get something passed his vocalisers, though it was only a simple, "Uhh..."

The mech was unconcerned, however, his thoughts on something else entirely. He stepped over to where the Forge of Solus Prime rested against the wall. "Optimus, I know there are many emotions tied to the forge..."

Walking up behind him, Optimus set his gaze upon the ancient artifact. It was true, many emotions flickered through his spark about it. Yet, he knew he could not let that restrict them, not in something like this at least. Something else perhaps but not this. "This is no time to stand on ceremony."

Picking it up, Ultra Magnus felt the weight of it in his hands, "I would be honoured to put this to some practical use."

"Alright, let's smash some Cons!" Bulkhead bumped his fists together eagerly.

"Wreckers, to my ship."

The trio headed off the the adjacent hanger where Ultra Magnus' ship was stored.

Violetwind waved goodbye as they left, before turning her attention to those leaving via the ground bridge. Ratchet had already opened the vortex, ready to transport them to the second location.

"Bye," the femme waved. "Be careful, guys!"

"Aren't I always?" joked Smokescreen with a playful smile.

"No," she returned with an unimpressed look on her face.

Bumblebee hit the blue mech on the back, _'We'll be fine.'_

"Just make sure those Cons don't get another piece of a Predacon bone," Arcee added, her arms folded.

Optimus nodded in agreement. "It is vital we prevent them from obtaining even a single strand of CNA. Autobots, roll out!"

Transforming, the three Bots drove through the ground bridge. Once they had entered the vortex closed behind them, leaving the two femmes and Ratchet in the base with the humans.

Nobody moved for a few seconds, letting the sudden silence envelop them. Ratchet was the first to move. "Violetwind, fetch me another empty energon tube."

"Yes, Ratchet." Immediately she reached over the pile of odds and ends for the item. Handing it to the medic she glanced towards the humans, noticing that they were awake and one was missing. "Hey, where's Miko?"

Eating an Granola bar, Jack swallowed his mouthful before replying, "Said she was going to fetch us some sodas."

"Bit early," the femme muttered thoughtfully.

The boy just shrugged and kept eating.

Letting out a small vent of air she was about to turn back to continue helping with he Synthetic Energon when Arcee walked over.

"Hey, Vi, maybe I could tear you away from Ratch long enough to have a spar?"

"I don't know... I'm not really going out in the field any more. And don't really need to practice so much, right?" she gently protested, not wishing to do any fighting.

"No way. Just because you don't think you'll need it, doesn't mean you won't. We're in a war. We all need to keep our skills sharp. And you still have much to learn, so come on," the blue femme beckoned for her to follow.

"Ratchet..." she whined, hoping he would say he needed her and get her out of it.

However, he did no such thing. "Arcee's right. You still require practice, so off you go. Just don't go doing any damage. We don't need to be wasting energon."

Violetwind groaned in defeat. Seemed like she would not be getting out of it.

_Fighting's not that hard, is it? _

_We it's not like I've had any good experiences with it lately..._

Arcee led her over the the centre of the room, where they would have plenty of space. They stood facing each other, the smaller blue femme raising her fists. "No weapons. Just your hands. First one to floor their opponent wins."

She baulked, feeling like her spark had jumped into her throat. "We're gonna fight, like a real fight, like all out?"

"Best way to learn," Arcee smirked.

With a nervous grimace, Violetwind raised her fists, not really ready but trying to at least look it.

_You'd so better help me with this._

_Really? Come on, she's smaller than you are. And besides, it's only practice. _

_But I'll get my can handed to me!_

_Learn though pain,_ Windy teased.

The femme let out a small noise that was a mix between and whine and a groan.

"So you ready then?"

"I guess so..."

"Then let's begin."

The two females stared at each other, sizing up their opponent to read their next action. Arcee was the first to move, stepping forward to throw a fist at Violetwind's stomach plates. In response she stepped backward to escape the smaller femme's range.

This threw her attacker off balance, but she quickly recovered to move back and glance at her questioningly. "You had a perfect opportunity to strike, you know?"

"Um, well, I don't really want to do this and hurt you..."

Arcee huffed, rolling her optics. "Look. This is a fight. Get rid of your emotions. It doesn't help you. You need to focus on two things: one, keeping yourself from getting killed; and two, taking out your enemy."

Distress showed up plainly on her face, "But you're not my enemy..."

"For this fight I am. So come on. It's not like this is your first time. We've sparred before. Get with the program and buck up," she scolded.

Nodding nervously, Violetwind tried to pull herself together. It was true, this was not her first fight, nor her first spar with the two wheeler. She was not entirely sure why she was being so hesitant about it. Perhaps it may be somewhat influenced by trauma of fighting with the Decepticons before, and she had had enough violence to last a lifetime. Or perhaps it had something to do with a bad feeling about this whole thing.

Whatever it was, she tried to bury it and from then on to ignore it.

Releasing a slow vent, she clenched and unclenched her fists a few times. "Ok, I'm gonna give it a go this time."

The femme smiled, raising her own fists again, "Good. Best two out of three."

"You're on."

Their fight started up once again. This time Violetwind tried to pick up her courage and decided to act first. She swung her right fist for her opponent's head. Seeing the sloppy punch coming, Arcee's quick reflexes helped her to dodge to the left, avoiding the hit. Immediately she retaliated, winding up to deliver a swift kick to the purple femme's stomach plates. Before she could even react, the kick landed sending the femme stumbling backwards, clutching at the spot.

"Nice, hit," she wheezed.

Arcee smirked, her fists still raised defensively as she moved a little closer. "You really need to be quick and light on your pedes in order to win."

"Yeah, I'll remember that..." she huffed, standing upright again, doing her best to be ready for another attack.

For a few moments they just seemed to dance around each other, but the blue femme soon took the opportunity to strike again. With a quick jab of her left fist, she aimed for Violetwind's head, but this time she was ready, blocking the attack with her arm. Another swing from Arcee saw her bring up her other arm in defence.

Again and again, the smaller two wheeler threw punches and each time the purple femme was able to block them. With this not working Arcee pulled back, her opponent let loose a sigh, glad to be getting a break. She was not sure how much longer she could have kept it up.

In the small moment of peace, Violetwind clenched her denta in worry. The fight might have only just begun but she felt like she was barely just holding on. She had absolutely no idea of strategies and only as much technique as they had tried to teach her before. Windy was the only reason she had been able to hold on in any other fight and that was even before she knew who Windy was.

_Please, won't you help me out here..._ She whined, attempting to dodge another fist but was instead hit on the side of the helm.

_Slag, you're not doing that badly. Keep at it._

The femme groaned, tensing in preparation for another fist coming her way.

However, instead of punching her again, Arcee stood back, a mocking 'come on, try something' smile on her face. It did nothing to help her confidence issues. Yet, she was going to attempt something anyway.

Letting out a slow vent she centred herself, before she charged forward, right fist aimed to land a heavy punch. In the few steps it took to reach Arcee, the blue femme's optics shone with surprise at the bold attack. She did not let her surprise get the best of her though, side stepping, she swung her pede out at Violetwind's lower leg. A solid clang rang out as metal hit metal and the purple femme tumbled to the floor, sending out a cacophony of bangs and clinks.

Not a second had passed after she had stopped moving before Arcee declared in triumph, "That's one for me."

On the floor, the femme groaned, "Can I just stay here?"

"No. You can't give up that easily. Get up!"

She let out a deep sigh but rose to her pedes, lifting her fists up again as she faced the blue femme. "Let's just get this over with."

With a nod, the blue femme also returned to a ready stance.

A stern expression replaced, Violetwind's previous one of worry. Her mouth was set with grim determination. She was not going to go down again.

Noticing the expression, her opponent teased, "Now that's better. Make this fight more interesting."

"Ok," she grunted. In a flash she had closed the distance between them. Using the same move as before, Arcee dodged and aimed a kick at the femme's legs. This time, however, she knew it was coming and jumped, the kick missing its target. Not ready for such a thing, Violetwind got the drop on her, sending her to the ground with a punch to the helm.

The purple femme stood smiling victoriously over Arcee. The fallen warrior groaned, her optics briefly closing as her head rang from the hit. "Where did that come from? Windy give you that?"

Her face fell as she looked down at Arcee. "I'm really, sorry. I didn't hurt your too much did I?" She leaned over to help her up. "Um, no. Windy didn't say a thing. She was leaving this fight to me... I don't know where it came from."

Taking the help, the two wheeler found herself on her pedes looking up at the purple femme. "Well, it worked and that's all that matters. And I'm fine. Takes more than one hit to get me. Now, shall we see who wins this thing?"

"Um, ok."

As they readied for another round, Agent Fowler interrupted, "Violetwind! Over here!"

The femme dropped her arms, turning her attention to the man. He looked back at her, waiting for her to come closer. Taking the cue, she left Arcee and wandered over to where he stood at the railing in front of his office.

"I've been able to contact your parents. Told them you were doing some special species research for Uncle Sam. You'll be able to email them if that's what you want but I'm not letting any messages through that I haven't checked personally, you got it? You are not allowed to tell them _anything_ about what happened to you. We can't have word of this getting out. Not even my superiors know of this. I can just imagine how the top brass at the Pentagon would react to such news." He rubbed his face, knowing how much trouble everyone would be in.

"I understand, Agent Fowler. I can send them messages but no details. I think I can handle that," a smile pulled up her mouth as she thought about being able to contact her parents. She was not sure what she would tell them but she was sure she would think of something.

"Good," the man replied with a firm nod.

Finished, he wandered off back to his office, leaving her standing there. The femme wanted to shout with excitement but held it in, not wishing to make a scene. It was such good news and although the only memories she had of her family were told to her second hand by Windy, they were still parts of her.

_You gonna get started on something right now? _

_Oh, yes! I am. I am!_

"Ratchet, do we have any paper and pens?"

* * *

Pens and paper for a transformer *shakes head* silly Violet.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sitting by the human's platform Violetwind chatted excitedly to Rafael. Apparently they did not have pen and paper large enough for Cybertronians so she was getting help from the young human in composing the email. Especially since, despite her pleas, Ratchet had not allowed her to use them main console, stating that it was designed for Cybertronian script not human English so it would be useless anyway and besides that he was busy using it.

"So what do you think of it so far?" Rafael turned to her as he adjusted his glasses.

Leaning closer Violetwind read what they had of the email so far.

_Dear Mum and Dad,  
Hope you weren't too worried when you didn't hear from me for a few weeks. I didn't get much time to prepare for the trip after it was offered. It did not help that we headed into areas that were too remote for phone reception. I'm really sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you before but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.  
Before you ask, things have been going great. The people I'm working with are fantastic, and just great to be around. I've learnt so much from them already and hope to learn a lot more. _

"It sounds good so far. How about adding something like, 'I've become really close friends with one of the other women in the group. She's become sort of like a mentor to me and we rarely spend any time apart.'"

_Aww, so sweet of you to mention me. _

She smirked a little. _Well how could I not. You are my constant companion after all. Plus you're the reason for all this. _

"Alright," the boy nodded and quickly typed up the new addition. "You're getting a little close to the truth though, aren't you?"

"I know. But- well, I do want to actually tell them something about my current life, you know. Even if I can't actually tell them about what really happened to me. I don't think they'd take it too well anyway if I could tell them..." she lamented, rubbing her elbow nervously. "I mean, I don't want to spout off lies every time I send them a message. It wouldn't feel very good."

Glancing up from his work, Rafael smiled at her comfortingly. "I understand. You want to be able to still connect with them, even though you aren't able to let them know what happened."

"Yeah... I wish I could go see them. Even if it was just from a distance. I would like to have actual memories of them." She rested her hands on the railing to lean closer, "That's not unreasonable is it, Raf?"

"I don't think so. Maybe Agent Fowler will grant you permission to see them when the Bots aren't busy." Reaching out a hand, the boy rested it on her finger. With a smile he offered, "I'd be happy to come with you, and Bee too I'm sure, if you needed some support."

Violetwind felt her worries vanish, touched by the boy's warmth. "Thank you, Raf. If Agent Fowler lets me, I'll certainly take you and Bee along."

The computer made a soft noise as a message came though. Quickly scanning it, Raf called out, "Incoming ground bridge request. From Scotland."

The vortex opened up and through it drove the white, red and green Wrecker.

Approaching him Arcee asked, "Wheeljack, what happened? Where are the others?"

Transforming he frowned, "Having a swell time taking the long way home in Ultra Magnus's boat I'm sure. Miko included."

Rafael and Jack looked unsurprised, the former commenting, "I wondered what was taking so long with those sodas."

Nobody else seemed terribly bothered by the news either. It was not he first time the girl had snuck off to join a mission and it sounded like she was fine in any case. However, one bot was somewhat distressed by the others' lack of concern.

Raising her voice, Violetwind glared darkly at the humans, "Don't you care at all that she could have been in danger?"

The older boy shrugged his shoulders, "It's not like it's the first time she's done this. And Wheeljack did say she was with the Bots and they were already headed back. Bulkhead keeps her safe."

"So? Just because she's done this before makes it ok for you not to worry, does it? And you know very well Bulkhead can't protect her from everything!"

"Violet, is everything alright?" The pre-teen asked quietly. He was concerned at her sudden overreaction to Miko's disappearance. It was not like her to react in such a manner. "You don't usually shout so much..."

Slowly her face drained of distress and became blank for a moment. Calming down she lowered her gaze in embarrassment. "You're right," she muttered softly, "I'm sorry for raising my voice. I guess I was just a little worried about Miko for a sec and might have overreacted..."

"It's ok," Raf smiled at her, forgiving the outburst.

Over by his station, Ratchet looked on in worry, though not for Miko. The old medic was concerned about the femme's reaction. It was contrary to her usual nature and he did not like it.

However, for the moment she had gone back to chatting happily with Rafael, so for now he turned his attention to Wheeljack. "Did you secure the Predacon bone?"

He mech softly grunted, recalling how the mission had ended. "The, uh, beast hunt kinda imploded, Doc."

Walking over on the raised walkway, Agent Fowler announced, "Well, I just got wind of another Con hotspot right outside of Taos, New Mexico. Since Team Prime's unit isn't back from oil country..."

"There has been a lot of Con activity lately..." Violetwind mumbled quietly.

Arcee immediately took charge, barking out orders, "Raf, set a bridge for Fowler's coordinates. You, roll with me," she pointed at Wheeljack and started to head towards the ground bridge's position.

Almost as soon as she started moving, however, she was stopped by the mech's protest. "Not today, alright?"

The blue femme kept walking, not even bothering to look back as she replied offhandedly, "If you're alright sending me alone...?"

"Alone's how I prefer to roll."

Ratchet interrupted, grumbling in irritation, "Wheeljack, you do not want to make me abandon a complex equation to venture outside my comfort zone."

"What about Violetwind?" He gestured towards the femme, still trying to get out of going.

"Violetwind's hardly up for the task if we run into trouble," shot Arcee, not taking her optics off the mech.

"Hey..." The femme in question protested.

"She can fight, can't she?"

"Yeah, but doesn't mean she can fight Cons."

"Oh, come on, Vehicons are like the easiest things in the world to take on."

"You haven't seen her in battle. She froze right up last time. Almost got herself killed. I don't need to go out there needing to look after another Bot. I need someone I can rely on."

"Um, you know I can hear you, right?" Violetwind glanced down at Rafael, "They do realise I'm in the room, don't they?"

The young human shrugged.

She knew Arcee had a point but it still did not mean she liked hearing it out loud. The battle back on Cybertron, where she had frozen in fear, was not exactly something she wished to remember.

"Wheeljack," the medic growled warningly.

"Ughh, fine." The mech relented and he followed Arcee toward the ground bridge. "But in case you hadn't figured out; I don't play well with others..." his voice trailed off as they disappeared.

Closing the ground bridge after them, Rafael turned his attention back to the purple femme. "Shall we continue with your email?"

~oOo~

Some time later, Violetwind and Rafael had finished composing the email to her parents and had sent it to Agent Fowler for approval, something he said he would do, after he had completed some other work. Rafael soon found himself busy, working his magic as he searched the internet and removed evidence of Transformers.

The femme, however, found herself occupying her time sitting by the workbench looking over Ratchet's shoulder; the medic still trying to complete the formula for Synthetic Energon.

"Shouldn't you get some recharge Ratchet? You've been at this an awful long time."

"I'm fine,"he grumbled in return. Pausing, he glanced wearily at her, "What about you? You were up early. Something on your mind?"

Violetwind shrugged, avoiding his gaze, Her door wings twitched as she picked at the dirt between the joints of her fingers. "Just couldn't seem to stay in recharge. Thought I might as well do something useful. Better than wasting my time, ya know."

"And your outburst earlier?"

She lowered her hands to her lap, fingers interlaced still not looking up. "I was overreacting. I don't know. I guess the incident just struck a chord is all... Anyway, enough about me how about that formula?"

Turning back to the monitor, Ratchet did his best to go back to working on the Synthetic Energon but could not keep his mind from wandering back to the femme. Something was odd before, yet she seemed fine now. Perhaps he should press for a scan of her processor again.

Not long afterwards a car pulled up outside and another human entered the hanger. Mrs. Darby walked up onto the platform, coming up behind where her son sat on the couch playing a video game on the TV.

"Nice shooting, tex."

"Hey Mom, what's up?" he glanced up from his game.

Having heard her car arrive, Agent Fowler emerged from his office. He greeted the woman with a smile, "Nurse Darby, what brings you here?"

Bouncing up from where she sat, Violetwind raced over, interrupted them,"Agent Fowler did you get a chance to check the email yet?"

The man sighed, an irritated look in his eye, "No, I haven't."

Letting out a whimper, the femme's door wings dropped as she reached them. Upon taking note of June, however she perked up. "June! I feel like it's been a while since I last saw you! What are you doing here?"

The woman smiled up at her, "Hello, Violet. Well as I was just about to tell Agent Fowler, I'm here for the medical supplies he so graciously offered to donate. The ones Jack keeps promising to bring over but keeps _forgetting_... The hospital appreciates your generosity, Agent Fowler."

This seemed to brighten his mood, Fowler replying warmly, "Please, call me William."

Jack's face took on a look of confusion that clearly said 'what?' as he swivelled around to look over at the adults. Seeing his face, the purple femme placed a hand hover her mouth to hide the amused grin that threatened to turn into giggles. He did not seem to appreciate the exchange going on behind him.

However, there was no chance for Jack to do anything for at that instant Rafael called out, "Guys! I found a Predacon talon in a museum. Scientists were totally stumped when they excavated it in 1922, so it's been sitting in storage."

The boy directed their attention towards his computer screen. Therein was a picture of the large claw of when the bone had been on display.

"But we're fresh out of beast hunters," commented Jack.

"Shame no one's back yet," replied the femme thoughtfully.

Off to the side Ratchet grumbled, "I didn't choose 'emergency' as my vehicle mode for laughs."

Placing his hands behind his back and puffing his chest out, Fowler calmly interrupted, "Not sure you need a Bot."

"Maybe you should all just wait for Optimus," suggested June a little nervously.

Not about to be put off, the man continued, "I'll have you know, Nurse Darby, I was an Army Ranger and federal agent for Unit:E three decades before I ever heard the _name_ 'Optimus Prime.' I'm more that equipped to handle a milk run. In fact, why don't you tag along?"

"Ohh, I don't know about," she replied, not sure if she wanted to go on any kind of mission.

Stepping forward, Jack waved his hands about, "A-absolutely not, Mom. I don't want you anywhere near anything Con. It's not-"

"Safe?" she finished hands on her hips. "Is my teenaged son seriously going to tell me that it's fine for him to go to travel all the way to Cybertron, but his mother can't be trusted to go on a, on a..."

June glanced at Fowler for help, which he offered leaning toward to whisper, "Milk run."

"A milk run!"

The boy was a little taken back by his mother's response trying to get something out, "No, I, ah, it's just you're lactose intolerant and I..."

Giving him a sharp look, she turned away to walk off, "Come on, Agent Fowler."

"Oh hey!" Violetwind quickly made her way around to stand at the bottom of the stairs, looking at them hopefully, "If there's not going to be any fighting, maybe I could drive you two? I haven't been out much since we got the new base and all..."

The woman considered her offer for a moment before nodding. "Only as long as you're not going to protest to my going."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied, "I only want to come cause it should be safe."

"Just a simple collection, nothing easier that that," Agent Fowler confirmed.

"Alright then," she grinned excitedly before proceeding to transform and open her doors. "Hop in!"

~oOo~

Evening had fallen by the time they reached the museum, arriving just before the place closed for the day. Agent Fowler and June headed inside, leaving Violetwind to wait in the carpark.

Switching off her headlights, she sat watching the last of the sun's rays touch the sky. _Just beautiful isn't it? _

_It certainly is._

A few minutes ticked by as she waited, quietly enjoying the sunset. Most of the other cars in the parking lot had left except for those belonging to the remaining museum staff. So when headlights drove up behind her, Violetwind was cautiously curious.

The bright lights shone over her, obscuring her view of the vehicle but when it came around, to park beside her the femme gasped. The red sports car that drove up with white trim on the doors and yellow wheel rims was all to familiar.

_Knock Out,_ Windy growled.

"My, my, my. Who do we have here? Just out and about are we?"

Transforming, the femme whirled around to face him as she jumped backward. With knees bent and right hand resting on the ground, she drew out the blaster on her left arm. Her blue optics, bright in the darkness, were wide in fear. This was supposed to have been a no risk mission. That was the only reason she was even there! "Kn- Knock Out, what are you doing here?"

He let out an amused chuckle, transforming to stand in front of her. "For the same reason you are, I'm sure. Collecting a little prize."

Spark beating wildly in her chest, Violetwind slowly stood up straight, weapon aimed at the mech, "I- I can't let you take that bone."

Knock Out smirked at her uneasiness. "You know, I've been wanting to see you again. Haven't seen you since you scratched my finish and put a dent in my helm." His optics darkened at the last part.

"Um, yeah, sorry about that. I did need to get away and all..." she remembered the incident well, being aboard the Nemesis was hardly an experience one was likely to forget. "In my defence it did seem like you were going to kill me at the time... So, how about we just forget the whole thing...?"

"And rob me of my revenge? That's not very sporting off you," the mech's optics narrowed, letting his right hand flick downward as he brought out his buzz saw. "I know of a simple little procedure that will take a little weight off your body. A simple cut across the neck."

_We're about to be in a fight here. You ready for this._

_I'm never ready!_

_Just stay alert._

Leaping toward her, Knock Out extended the arm with the circular saw buzzing. Dodging to the side the femme vented a sigh in relief as it missed. Though, she did not have time to rest, the mech taking another swing at her.

_Duck. _

Dropping down, the blade passed over her but came just a touch too close for her liking.

_Take a shot at him. _

Doing as Windy commanded, she aimed for the red mech's chest and fired. He was unable to get out of the way in time, the blast hitting his shoulder leaving a nasty black burn.

Shrieking in pain, Knock Out glared at her, "Look at what you did! You're going to pay for that!"

"Oh dear..." she muttered, the shot having only made him angrier rather than disable him.

He charged her again, Violetwind jumping out of he way but not quite making it. The blade nicked her upper left arm. Bright blue energon leaked from the wound. She tried to ignore the pain, gritting her denta as she concentrated on the fight.

"I feel like this is my lucky day; coming across the predacon bone on the humans interweb, Megatron allowing me the privilege to collect it _and_ getting to take down an Autobot. It really is amazing how good it gets sometimes," Knock Out jeered, the two circling one another.

_We just need to get him down. Swipe his legs out from under him with a spin._

With a slight nod, she dodged to the side. Ignoring the slice to her right arm, Violetwind bent down a little to lean on one leg and turn, using the momentum to kick the mech's legs.

The force took his legs out from under him, knocking him to his back. Before he could get up, she placed a pede on his chest and held a sword to his neck.

Despite the victory she did not feel very happy, not sure what to do with him now. Voice still shaky she warned, "Don't make me do something we'll both regret."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he grumbled, rolling his optics.

The sound of voices drew her attention away from the Decepticon. It sounded like June and Agent Fowler had acquired the Predacon bone and were headed out.

Knock Out smiled, having also spotted the humans. "Well that certainly makes things easier. I won't need to break in and search for it myself."

Whipping her head back around to look at him, she did not see the rod until it was too late. The mech had brought out his trusty shock rod while she was not paying attention and aimed it right for her neck. Jolts of electricity sparked through her circuits. Pain coursed through her circuits and caused her to loose control of her motor functions.

The femme fell to the ground with a groan. The rotten cheat had pulled a fast one on her. Next time she would need to remember to pay closer attention to her enemy. If there was a next time...

"It was lovely catching up, we shall have to do it again some time. But for now, I have some people to meet." Knock Out jammed the end of the rod into her neck again.

The pain flared up again but she could only think of what she had left the pair of humans to face alone. _Why couldn't someone more competent have gone?_

But there had been no one else.

"Fowler... June..." The femme muttered weakly in worry as she lost consciousness and everything went black.

* * *

Hehe, Arcee and Wheeljack talking about Violet like she's not even there and then she comments on it, definitely one of my favourite parts of the chapter.  
Also, I love Knock Out, he's so much fun to have in there.


	5. Chapter 5

Bit of a longer chapter this time, hope ya don't mind. Also a few car terms which I believe are different between Aus and the US so put what they are in brackets after it so you know what I'm talking about.

* * *

Chapter 5

Agent Fowler and June exited the museum, prize in hand. The Predacon bone was inside a crate under Fowler's arm. They were discussing their encounter inside.

"What did I tell ya? Milk run."

June chuckled lightly, "With one cranky cow."

"The curator?" The man grinned, "Acted like he was guarding the Mona Lisa instead of some prehistoric lug-nut that's been gathering dust since Harding was president."

Glancing over at him, she smiled, "I have to say Agent Fowler, you handled him well. I was _quite_ impressed."

His eyes sparkled with pride at the compliment. "Nurse Darby, I'd say that puts you one step ahead of my ex."

"Hmm," the woman nodded knowingly, "divorced, huh?"

"Uhh, yeah..." he admitted. Now that ex-partners had been brought up he was curious as to her own situation. "What about you? What's the story with Mr. Darby?"

June sighed. "More like a saga but one I'm sure you've heard before," she avoided answering directly.

Suddenly the pair realised they should have come across their ride by then, yet there was no sight of the sporty purple car.

"Violetwind?" The woman called out in worry, looking about. "What could have happened to her?"

Instead of the female Autobot, a red vehicle drove up, its headlights glaring into their eyes. A voice came from the vehicle, "She had an appointment. And _I_ have a bone to pick with the both of you."

From the side of the car, Knock Out drew a weapon, the sound of it charging filled the night.

Immediately Agent Fowler placed himself between the Decepticon and June and shouted "Run!"

Just as she started to do so, Knock Out fired, the electrical shot hitting them and shocking them unconscious, their bodies hitting the concrete.

Transforming, the mech picked up the crate, looking thoughtfully down at the humans. "Why bring back just one prize when I can take three..." Quickly he scooped up the humans, disarming the man and transformed around his captives who were just stating to stir.

As they woke they groggily looked around to find themselves within Knock Out's boot (trunk), lying back to back. "Kick back, relax and enjoy the scenery," he taunted with a brief chuckle. Closing the boot, he drove off with his new prisoners, as well as the Predacon bone sitting in his front passenger's side seat, thinking to himself that it was a shame he could not take the femme along as well. Now that _would_ please Megatron after all the trouble she caused. He shrugged it off though. Such a thing would have to wait for next time. For now he focused on getting out of town so he could call for a ground bridge.

Soon enough he made it to the highway, dust, rocks and scrub bushes the only things surrounding him. Not about to wait any longer he commed back to the warship. "Knock Out to Lord Megatron. I have secured one vintage Predacon talon. Plus two of the Autobot's pets, for you to employ as hostages, lab experiments... Well, any way you see fit. So go on Big M, tell me you love me more than Starscream."

Instead of the praise he desired the vain mech was met with static.

"My liege?"

Yet more static.

"Hello? Too familiar?" he uttered in confusion, not understanding why there would be a lack of a response.

Trapped inside the boot June and Agent Fowler were getting testy over their predicament, neither appreciating the ride.

"I told you we should have waited for Optimus," the woman snapped, twisting her head around to try and glare at her companion.

Agent Fowler crossed his arms, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "There it is, the 'I told you so.' Well no sale, sister. The Con was at the museum. If we had waited he would have snagged the talon before Prime got there."

With a huff June retorted, "And given out current situation, what difference would that have made?"

Having been listening to the conversation, Knock Out finally interrupted, "_Hello_, how long have you two been dating? Because you bicker like an old married couple."

"What?" yelled Agent Fowler.

"We're not dating," the woman stated a little too firmly.

Ignoring them, the mech went on, "Frankly I find it repulsive. The whole idea of you fleshies... _Interfacing_. Urgh." He made a disgusted noise at the thought. Wanting to forget about it, he tried calling the Nemesis once more. "Knock Out to base, requesting pick up. _Again_."

But there was no response.

"Alright is anyone up there receiving me? If Steve's broken something again... I swear I'll take him apart myself," he grumbled.

In the back Agent Fowler was calmer, if a little worried. "Nurse Darby? June?" he said keeping his voice down, "It sounds like Violetwind has been incapacitated and won't be coming for us and if this Con gets us to Megatron's warship, the chances of the Bots ever finding us decreases a thousandfold."

"Never let a Decepticon take you to a second location," she muttered in understanding. The woman let out a soft breath, really hoping that Knock Out had not gone so far as to kill the purple femme.

"He disarmed me back at the museum," Fowler continued, "Do you have anything we can use as a weapon?"

Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small can with some difficulty given the small space. "Pepper spray?"

"On a bot?"

She shrugged. It was not like they had anything else.

~oOo~

"Nmmm," groaned the purple femme as she awoke. Pain shot through her systems, her face plates scrunched up as she resisted crying out. Once it had subsided she opened her optics, raising herself into a sitting position. With a small hiss she tenderly rubbed her neck where Knock Out had stabbed her with his shock rod, thinking that it was a nasty piece of work.

Remembering the fight, her head shot up and looking around. Knock Out was gone but there was no sign of the two humans she had been with.

Suddenly her head shot up as she realised that she was alone. Her wide blue optics darted about looking for signs of the humans she had been with but they weren't there.

"Agent Fowler, June..." she muttered, her worry mounting. If the humans were still inside they didn't know of the Decepticon's presence and perhaps she should go after Knock Out, but if they were not and they had seen him...

Getting to her pedes, Violetwind glanced about, nervous the shadows might be hiding the red mech. She took a few steps toward the museum before she stopped and walked in the other direction. Pausing again she stood, biting her lip as her door wings quivered.

"O, what do I do...?" she whined, uncertain of her next course of action.

_Try calling Fowler. Maybe they haven't even left yet and you're getting worried over nothing, _Windy suggested hopefully.

"Yeah, ok." she clicked on the comm link to call the agent's mobile phone.

**::**You have reached special agent William Fowler. Leave a message after the star spangled beep.**::**

"Scrap," she cursed, "it went straight to voice mail."

Taking another step, she heard a small crunch as she stepped on something. Lifting a pede she glanced down at the objects. She gasped, bending down to pick them up. It was Agent Fowler and June's phones.

"They wouldn't leave these behind..."

_Aren't humans attached to their mobile devices?_

"Now's not the time for jokes, Windy," the femme scolded as she straightened up.

_Alright, alright. I guess the only answer could be Knock Out then. We've gotta get after that slagging Con. _

"Should we inform the others?"

_So they can do what? Worry? Chances are no one's back anyway. It's just us. So get out there and track down that Con! _

"Right," the femme transformed into her alt-mode. Driving off she hoped she could find the mech, though she was hesitant to want to engage him in another fight on her own. But she would do whatever it took to get the humans back.

~oOo~

Still unable to reach the Nemesis, the Decepticon medic continued to drive around; much to the mech's growing annoyance. "Knock Out to base, requesting ground bridge for the umpteenth time. Come in, base. Urgh. I can't drive around all night."

A soft beeping alarm sounded from inside the vehicle.

"What?"

Climbing out of the rear of the car was Fowler. With a bit of effort for his hefty frame, the man squeezed through the seats. Hand outstretched he grabbed the steering wheel. Man and machine wrestled for control of the steering, the car swerving back and forth. They turned off the main road, tires scrambling over the loose dirt beside a train yard.

"Watch the rims!" Knock Out yelled in alarm, concerned about his precious paint job as they skidded over the loose surface.

Manoeuvring between the front seats, Agent Fowler got a foot on the break bringing them to a swift halt. Immediately he yelled out, "Now!"

Grabbing the crate containing the Predacon talon, June jumped from the vehicle. Fuelled by fear she ran without turning back. Dashing straight for the train carriages she hid behind them.

Also escaping the car, Fowler started to run.

"Well that's just grand," grumbled their previous captor. Transforming he took a few steps after Fowler, the human not yet having gotten far. Picking him up, Knock Out brought him up to his face. "Did I say grand? I meant totally _rude._"

The Agent pulled out the pepper spray, silently hoping it would work. Shielding his own face with an arm, he held out the can and sprayed the irritant into the mech's red optics.

"Gaahh! My optics!" he screeched, dropping the human to rub his burning optics.

Fowler fell to the ground with a grunt but quickly scrambled to his feet. He was not about to sit around to be captured again. Picking up the pace, he headed for the train carriages just as June had done.

Rubbing at his optics, which were leaking a little lubricant, Knock Out's pain slowly subsided. He paused to blink a few times, his blurred vision clearing. Seeing that his captives had gone into hiding and he was in less pain, his cockiness returned. "O, are we playing a human game now? Because I would be happy to teach you the Decepticon version, 'hide and go shriek.'" He chuckled menacingly, peering over a carriage.

Amongst the train cars the two humans hid from the mech, his heavy pede-steps giving away his position as he wandered around the train yard searching for them. With her back pressed against the metal surface of one of the carriages, June softly whimpered, wishing she had never come on this 'milk run' as she clutched the crate tightly to her chest.

Meanwhile Agent Fowler crawled out from underneath one of the train cars after Knock Out had passed. Rounding a carriage, he searched for the dark haired woman, hoping to find her and escape with the bone before Knock Out got to them. In an effort to locate her sooner he called out in a whisper, "June? June? Where are you?"

Instead of June, he ran into the red mech. "Ah ha!" He uttered in triumph as he scooped up the agent. "Alright little lady, show yourself! Or I turn this snappy dresser here into a sloppy stain on the tarmac."

Huddled by one of the trains, June bit her lip suppressing a whimper. She did not know what to do and things were looking incredibly bleak. What on Earth had happened to Violetwind anyway?

~oOo~

The purple femme found herself driving out of town, hoping beyond hope that she was going the right way. The terrifying thought crossed her mind that Knock Out might have just ground bridged back onto the Nemesis and she was starting to think that was what had happened.

The disguised Autobot whined, feeling guilty for what had happened. She should have been able to protect them. "Why do I have to be so bad at this? "

_Beating yourself up over it isn't going to help anything._

"You sure?"

_Positive._

"Fine. What do I do then?"

Before Windy could reply, a comm link call came through. It was Jack and he sounded worried. **::**Violetwind?**::**

"Yeah, Jack?" She replied hesitantly.

**::**What's happening? Where's my mom and Agent Fowler? Why can't I reach them?**::**

_Slag, what are you gonna tell him?_

**::**What was that?**::** The boy sounded confused.

"What was what?"

_What's that kid going on about now?_

**::**Violet, is someone with you?**::**

"No." The femme was a little confused. "It's just me."

**::**Are you sure? I thought I heard another voice.**::**

"I think I would know if someone was here."

_Of course you would. What does he fragging think you are? Blind? _

**::**What? Seriously, who is that?**::**

_You don't think..._

_No..._

**::**Violet?**::** the boy was a little worried about the lack of response. He was sure there was another voice on the line. Did she not hear it?

The other two were starting to get an idea on what Jack might have been hearing. Deciding to test it out Windy jumped in. _Jack! Knock Out's got your mother and Fowler!_

**::**What?! Why didn't you stop him?!**::**

"I tried! It wasn't my fault! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Violetwind blubbered, starting to sob even while still in vehicle mode.

_Interesting... And stop sobbing. Pay attention to where you're going, you're veering off the road. _

The femme sniffled, straightening up her course without protest.

_But she's right, Jack, _Windy continued, _it's not her fault. Knock Out got the best of us with his rotten zappy stick. _

On the other end of the line, the teen was really confused. There was definitely another voice but it was not one he recognised. ::Is there another Bot with you?::

_You could say that..._

"Wait, so you can actually hear Windy?" she asked in surprise, forgetting about what had happened earlier and being upset over it.

**::**Windy? As in the other Violetwind?**::**

_That would be me. _

**::**But, isn't she supposed to be trapped in your head?**::**

"Yeah."

_But not without communication. Seems I can drop in on comm calls. Interesting. A most unexpected turn of events. _

"Is it as weird for anyone else as it is for me?"

_Yep. _

Jack was silent.

_Hey, Jack you alright over there?_

"Jack?"

**::**Violet?**::** the voice sounded younger than that of the human they had been talking to.

"Raf? Is that you? What happened to Jack?"

**::**He just muttered something about his mom being taken and Wind talking and handed me the phone. He's gone to sit down.**::**

"Oh, um... Oops."

_Humph, what's his problem?_

**::**Vi?**::**

"Ah, Raf, this is Windy. Seems she can be heard during comm calls."

**::**Wow! This is amazing news! Wait till I tell Ratchet. He'll be so interested. And we can talk to you too.**::**

_Well, don't expect me to get all chatty to the rest of you. _

"Yeah, we probably don't need to let Ultra Magnus know what you think of him..."

The boy on the other end of the line chuckled lightly before being cut off by a shout in the background, **::**This is serious!**::**

"Jack?" she left the rest of the question unasked.

**::**Mhmm.**::** the boy responded. **::**So what happened?**::**

"Well, Agent Fowler and June went to get the bone and then Knock Out arrived and he, well, he knocked me out. When I came to, they were all gone. I'm kinda trying to find them at the moment." Violetwind explained as best she could keeping it short.

_Actually we finished the last part. There's Knock Out and he's got Fowler. What luck. We've gotta go. _

Training her sensors the way her inner counterpart directed she also saw the red mech, the man held captive in his fingers.

"Raf, see if you can get hold of someone to give me a hand. I have a feeling I might need it..."

**::**Good luck!**::**

"Byes," she clicked off the comm link, hoping she would be able to do this.

Racing forward, she heard him talking to the air but could not quite make out what he was saying. It didn't matter, though. She was there to get Agent Fowler and June back. She transformed and stood there, not sure if she should approach, door wings perked in anticipation. Finally she took a deep breath and clenched her fists, calling out in her most forceful voice, "Put the human down, Knock Out."

Rather than comply, he simply turned to face her with a smirk. "Oh look who just turned up. More for the party." He looked over at Fowler, "And I don't think so. He's my insurance that I get what I want. So back off if you don't want to mop up your friend here."

The femme did not move, optic ridges narrowing in a glare as she growled "Where's June?"

Knock Out was not phased, taking a few steps to the side to lean on a train carriage. "Well, I was just giving the little lady an ultimatum; bring out my talon or it'll be the last she sees of her boyfriend."

The femme's spark beat heavily in her chest, a tight feeling of worry surrounding it. Glancing at Agent Fowler she knew she could not risk his life. She could only hope June had gotten away. With a small vent of defeat she took a step backwards.

"Violetwind, forget about me. Get June and get back to base," ordered the special agent. He was not about to let the Decepticon's add another Predacon clone to their army.

"But..."

"Do it!"

"Well you're no fun," the mech groaned. "But, I suppose if you really don't care about his life..."

The train Knock Out was leaning against started to move, the mech stumbling a little, arms flailing before rightening himself. In his hand, Agent Fowler appeared a little green, like he would be sick.

_We need to do something._

_But what? I'm open to ideas._

For the moment she was saved from having to come up with anything. As the carriages rolled away they revealed June holding the crate and she looked upset. "Ok first; not my boyfriend!" she yelled up at their enemy, "And second; you're not laying a metal digit on him!" The woman threw down the crate, the wood splintered and broke apart; but it was empty. "Not if you ever want to see your precious talon again."

The mech scowled, rushing forward to grab her with his free hand. June turned to flee but she was not quick enough to escape, being easily scooped up.

"Noo!" Violetwind shouted jumping towards them, wanting to do something.

"Ah, ah, ah," warned the mech, "unless you want to see them hurt, not another step."

The femme immediately froze in her tracks.

Satisfied that she was not coming any closer, Knock Out turned his attention to the woman, "Where is it?"

"Leave her alone!" shouted Agent Fowler, still wishing to protect her. It was his fault she was even there.

She struggled in his grip but eventually stopped, unable to free herself. Staring with defiance up at the Decepticon she answered, "I hid it on a train car. Let us go and I'll tell you which one."

"Come on, Knock Out. Do as the lady asks and we'll leave you in peace. Please," the purple femme added, trying to sway the mech.

He ignored her plea, glancing around at the carriages around him. Suddenly his gaze turned to the retreating train and a smile appeared on his face. "Try as you might you can't con a Con."

Following his gaze, it dawned on Violetwind what he meant. "That train car..."

_She should have hid it in one of the ones here and then indicated that it was on the leaving train. Now that would have been better. Send him off on a wild cyber-duck chase. _

_Is that like a wild goose chase. _

_Yep,_ came the smug reply.

Transforming down into his vehicle mode, Knock Out trapped his captives in the rear seat, belting them in tight. Revving his engine he raced after the train.

"Oh, come on!" changing into her own vehicle mode, Violetwind raced after the mech.

She could hear the Decepticon medic taunting his captives, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride."

Struggling in their seats, Agent Fowler and June tried to free themselves. However, their efforts proved fruitless.

"Oh wait, you can't _unfasten_ your belts. My bad."

"Knock Out, you won't get away with this!" yelled the femme as she pulled up behind him.

"But I think I will. It's been really nice catching up with you. I hope we'll get the chance to do it again some time. I do so like beating you in a fight."

"Yeah, well..." she spluttered having no comeback, "You won't get away with this!"

The mech only laughed at her pathetic efforts. "You've already said that one."

Just then a ground bridge opened up behind the femme and out drove Arcee and Wheeljack. Her help had arrived. Maybe now they could actually stop Knock Out and get the humans back.

Seeing that he was outnumbered, the mech called back to base again, getting through this time. "Knock Out to Lord Megatron, please come in."

**::**Knock Out, do you have the Predacon bone?**::** the Decepticon leader's gravelly voice entered his audios.

"In my sights, my liege," he answered, "as are a trio of Autobots riding my rear."

**::**Understood. Just make sure you secure the specimen.**::**

"Violetwind, where are June and Fowler?" Arcee asked as she pulled alongside the purple femme.

"I... Knock Out's got them," she replied shamefully.

"We'll get them back," the two wheeler assured her.

Another ground bridge opened up, this time not from the Autobots. Four insecticons flew out. They targeted the convoy following the red mech, firing shots at the trio.

Transforming, Wheeljack leapt into the air. Taking the swords from his back he sliced through two of the metal bugs in a spectacular display of skill. He then transformed back into vehicle mode before his pedes touched the ground. The insecticons proceeded to crash to he ground on either side of him.

Violetwind could only watch her rear-view mirror in amazement; the feat had not taken more than ten seconds. "Wow..."

_He's good. _

The femme was very glad she was not alone. She knew she would never have been able to take them on by herself.

"Keep driving," shouted Arcee firmly.

"Why would I-" she broke off as the blue femme jumped up, returned to robot mode and landed on her roof. Not having expected the ride along, she swerved slightly before getting herself under control again.

"Hey, watch it," warned her passenger.

"Sorry..."

Bringing out her blasters, Arcee fired at the remaining insectacons. One hit its target just before it flew into a metal structure, resulting in a fireball explosion from which Violetwind could feel the heat on her rear bumper.

The final bug escaped, still coming after them. Diving down, it side-swiped Arcee, knocking her right off Violetwind's roof.

"Arcee!" she shouted, already putting on the breaks to go back for the femme.

"I'm fine. Get Fowler and June!" the femme yelled at them.

With a small whine, Violetwind kept going, Wheeljack right behind her. She felt a little guilty for leaving the femme behind but would do as she was told. They were right behind Knock Out now, almost within reach.

"You can do this, little femme," encouraged the Wrecker, though she could hear a sly grin in his voice.

There was no time to respond as Knock Out raced up the embankment beside the train lines and transformed. "Here's where you get out." His two human occupants started to fall, his transformation dropping them from his cab.

Speeding up underneath them, the Autobot mech changed into robot mode to catch Agent Fowler and June. Before he could crash into the ground, he had transformed around the pair. Landing on his wheels he skidded to a stop. "All up to you now."

"Great..." Violetwind muttered in response, nervousness welling up in her like a spring and coiling around her spark.

_We've come this far. We can do it,_ encouraged Windy.

By now Knock Out had grabbed onto the side of the coal car and was reaching in for what she presumed must have been the Predacon talon. Not about to waste her final chance to make good on her uselessness so far, she too made a transformation leap, arms outstretched towards the red mech.

"Ah ha," muttered Knock Out in triumph as his fingers grasped the bone. Though he did not have the chance to revel in his victory.

The femme's flying leap cut him off, ramming into him. He lost his grip on the train carriage and they both fell, crashing to the ground in a tangled heap. Arms and legs entwined, as they tumbled over one another. Ultimately being the lighter of the two, Violetwind ended up on top as they finished rolling.

"Hey! Watch the paint!" shrieked the mech as soon as they had stopped. "You fragging little..."

The femme groaned, pain shooting through all her limbs, her sensitive door wings screaming the most protest. She quickly realised where she lay and flushed, scrambling to get up. Her erratic movements only served to further scratch the vain mech's finish.

"Stop!" He shoved her off to save what was left of his paint job. "Look what you've done!" Knock Out yelled as he got up, indicating to his scratched up finish. Flashing her a glare he stepped towards her.

Frightened by the fierceness in his optics, Violetwind whined and took a fearful step backward. Suddenly she deeply regretted her decision to attack the mech.

"You're gonna pay for this!" His yelling was unable to continue as he noticed Arcee and Wheeljack racing their way. Immediately his tune changed as he took a few steps away, "Lord Megatron, if a ground bridge doesn't open up _tout suite,_ your specimen will belong to the Autobots!"

"Noo!" The femme yelled making a grab for the bone.

He easily dodged and she fell, tasting the dirt as a ground bridge opened up beside them. "And that's my ride. You better watch out next time we meet, Violetwind. I won't forget this!"

Before the others could arrive he darted into the vortex and a second later it was gone.

Picking herself up, she looked over at the pair before dropping her gaze. "I'm sorry guys..."

"Are you alright?" asked Arcee with concern, transforming to help her he rest of the way up.

"That was a mighty brave move there," commented Wheeljack, remaining in his alternate mode.

"More like crazy," scolded the femme, sending the mech a look to not encourage such behaviour.

"I'm fine, I think," Violetwind assured them, dusting off some dirt and gravel. "But he got away with the bone..."

"As long as we got June and Fowler," Arcee tuned to Wheeljack. Her optic ridge raised in suspicion as she looked into the mech's interior but did not see the humans. "Where are they?"

"In back," he replied simply, popping open his boot to reveal the two humans.

Both of them let out a sigh of relief as they climbed out, Wheeljack transforming once they were clear.

"I don't want to see the inside of another trunk as ling as I live," muttered June albeit with a smile.

"Did you get the talon?" Fowler questioned.

"No," Arcee muttered while Violetwind shook her helm.

The man let out a huff, "So the Cons got another one."

"We got you two back. That's the main thing." The blue femme did not want to think of the worry Jack would have gone through if Knock Out had gotten away with the boy's mother _along_ with the Predacon bone. Lifting a hand to her helm she called back to base. "Ratchet, can we get a ground bridge?"

Almost at once the swirling blue green vortex opened up beside them. Arcee nodded towards it, "Let's get out of here."

"I bet there's a worried boy for you back at base," wrapping an arm around June's shoulders, Agent Fowler gently coaxed her towards the ground bridge. They were closely followed by Arcee.

Trailing after them more slowly, Violetwind rubber her elbow, the pain of having landed on it flaring up. It was not he pain that really bothered her though, it was the fact she had been standing right there and let Knock Out get away with the talon.

"What's with the long face, Vi?"

The femme's head whipped around to look at Wheeljack in surprise. Biting her lip she debated about answering but ultimately she turned her gaze away and spoke, "Knock Out got away with the Predacon talon and it's all my fault... I- I should have been able to stop him. I've failed everyone..."

"Hey, success on a mission isn't whether you did what you set out to do but whether you all came out of it. I've lost enough friends to know that." He grinned, as she shot him another look of surprise.

Before she could answer they stepped into the base. Arcee and Wheeljack moved off to talk. Meanwhile Jack been waiting for their arrival and immediately rushed over, "Mom!" Mother and son embraced each other tightly, relief flowing over them. "Are you alright?"

Releasing him, she smiled a little, "The milk run turned a little sour but Bill and I are just fine."

Putting an arm around the woman, Agent Fowler smiled warmly and started to move her away, "Come on, June, sit down."

Jack was left staring after them in shock. "Bill?"

Violetwind was just noticing that Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead were back, as well as Miko, the girl coming up to the surprised Jack. She was about to greet the bold teen when Ratchet reached her side, hands on his hips. He looked very upset.

"I don't know how you do it! You're always the one who comes back with more damage than anyone! Do you make it your goal to get hurt?" He started to usher her over to their medical area. It was not much, just an upright berth and a computer terminal but it was all they could manage with so little resources.

"I didn't do it on purpose..." she muttered softly. "I just took a bit of a tumble."

_Not one of your best ideas. _

The medic pointed at the berth. "You. Now." He ordered firmly, not about to take any protests.

Yet she still hesitated and he raised an optic ridge in impatience. "Ratchet, you're not gonna scan my head are you?"

The medic cursed inwardly. He had been hoping to take the opportunity to do just that, thinking that he might be able to get away with it while her attention was elsewhere. Sighing he realised it would have to wait. She was still concerned about keeping it secret. For now he would just patch up her body. "No. If it'll get you on here, I promise to not scan your head."

She smiled a little, "Thanks, Ratchet." Moving over, she settled herself on the berth, letting the medic know where she was the most injured.

As Ratchet got to work she admitted with a little fear, "I don't think I ever want to see Knock Out again. He was really mad about what I did to his finish."

He snorted, "If he looks anything like you, I'm not surprised."

"And he does..." The femme lay back and let Ratchet work, thinking it might not be so bad to keep practising her fighting. Every time she left the base, it felt like something happened to her. She needed to learn to protect herself better.

"Oh Ratchet," she thought of something, hoping Raf had not told him yet, "We found out something interesting today..."

The mech raised an optic ridge, "O really?"

"Mhmm, apparently Windy can be heard comm link calls."

"What!"

* * *

Hehe Knock Out, you're fun to have around.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Not long after Ratchet began fixing up the damage Violetwind had endured during her tumble with Knock Out, Optimus Prime's group returned. The three mechs walked in covered with oil stains. Glad to see them back and hungry for more news, the medic and his patient joined the other Bots who gathered around to greet them.

"So, what took you so long?" Arcee asked with a smirk, directed at the two younger mechs.

_'We had to help clean up some of the damage Shockwave did to the drilling machinery,'_ Bumblebee explained, trying to wipe the lubricant off his arm.

"What about the Predacon bone?" Ratchet looked over at them expectantly, hoping that more than one group had succeeded.

Optimus heaved a deep sigh, showing the Predacon bone he possessed. "Unfortunately the Decepticons managed to claim a fragment of the bone."

"Yeah, that rotten Soundwave pulled one of his 'relocation tricks' on the bone; bridging it away before Optimus could catch it," Smokescreen added, kicking at the floor in annoyance.

The Prime surveyed the room, not missing the new addition to their bone collection, or that June had arrived, nor did he miss the fact that Violetwind was injured. "What has occurred during my absence? Was there trouble?"

"You could say that," muttered Wheeljack with a nonchalant shrug.

Ultra Magnus sent the mech a glare for being rude before filling in their leader. "Optimus, Sir, I would like to report the retrieval of a Predacon bone by Arcee and Wheeljack. However, pur mission failed to achieve its directive as did Agent Fowler and Violetwind's."

"Vi? I thought you didn't want to go on missi- Vi! What happened to you?" Smokescreen's optics widened with concern as he caught sight of the femme. Stepping over to her, he glanced over the damage, shocked by its extent.

She tried to smile and reassure him, "I'm fine, really. Just a bit of a run in with the ground."

The femme suddenly received a light slap on the shoulder. Turning her head she was surprised see Wheeljack. The mech grinned down at her, "This gal took a daring leap at Knock Out. She woulda had him too if he hadn't darted off like a frightened retrorat. Even still he was right fuming when he did. Ya shoulda seen the scratches on him!"

She flushed from the unexpected praise, something she felt was undeserved. "I'm sure if it had been anyone else, they would've done better."

"But they weren't there, you were, little spark."

Smokescreen raised an optic ridge at the nickname from Wheeljack but ignored it to ask, "What made you go anyway, Vi?"

"Other than Ratchet, I was the only one here. Everyone else was out on a mission. But it wasn't supposed to have any trouble. I was just driving Agent Fowler and June out to collect the bone."

Looking down at her with gentle optics Optimus nodded. Turning his gaze to the rest of the team he spoke, "We may not have accomplished all that we wished to, Autobots but we have made progress in stopping Megatron's cloning programme and we _will_ stop him from unleashing his beasts. For now, take some rest. Each of you have earned it for your efforts this day."

They started to disembark from the small meeting when Fowler shouted, "Hey you three! Prime and the muscle cars! Out! And get yourselves cleaned up before you traipse any more of that oil on my floors."

"Of course, Agent Fowler," replied Optimus, leading the way out to wash off the substance.

"Awww man," grumbled the rookie as he followed.

Bumblebee beeped playfully, _'A little more work before you get some recharge isn't going it offline you.' _

The younger mech rolled his optics his reply lost as they left he hanger.

"Alright, back to the berth with you," ordered Ratchet, pointing in its direction.

Nodding, the purple femme lay back against the metal slab in order for the medic to continue his work. Exhausted from the days events, she soon fell into recharge.

~oOo~

Later that night, while the rest of the Bots were resting or otherwise busy, Ultra Magnus and Optimus stood off to the side.

"I am glad you are here with us, Ultra Magnus. I believe we have a difficult struggle ahead of us. We are already outnumbered and Megatron will only adding more to his ranks with the Predacon clones"

The mech looked to his commanding officer, gruffness in his voice, "I only wish there was more I could do. The Decepticons appear to have collected more than enough Predacon bones to amass an army. We are merely on borrowed time until it comes into fruition."

Optimus let out a deep vent, "That is true, but we must keep vigilant to do what we can until that time. Perhaps even find a way to destroy it, given the chance."

His companion nodded. A moment of silence passed before Ultra Magnus spoke again. "Optimus, what do you say of Smokescreen and Violetwind?"

The taller mech shot him a look of surprise, not sure where he was going by mentioning them. "They are both worthy additions, with strong sparks. I do not believe I understand your reason for questioning..."

He received a grunt in response. "It's just... I question their resolve. They act like younglings just sparked. Do they not realise that we are in a war and have no room for delinquency?"

Curiosity hid behind Optimus' calm optics. "Is there a reason you are bringing this up?"

Ultra Magnus dropped his gaze recalling the recent incident between the pair. "They are proving more troublesome than they ought and appear to have no respect; lying right to my face. They were clearly engaged in nonsensical activity before Smokescreen fell into the energon crates and not 'sparing practice' as they told to me. And Violetwind herself, being one of the planet natives... I am unsure of her role in our war."

Hiding a smile of amusement, the mech replied, "Are you saying there were simply enjoying one another's company? Is such a thing so harmful? They are still young and have both endured more than they should for their age. Allow them to retain some innocence."

Scoffing in reply, Ultra Magnus opened his mouth to speak but closed it again thinking better of it. Although he did not agree with the Prime's calm demeanour towards it, he did not feel it his place to protest. "Perhaps..."

"As for Violetwind, you know she chooses to be here."

"And are you sure she should be?"

Optimus glanced over at the femme as she slept between Bulkhead and Arcee in vehicle mode. "I do," He paused looking back over at Ultra Magnus. "Simply keep an optic on our young pair, but do try to not be too harsh on them. They may not posses much experience but I am certain they have great potential."

~oOo~

Violetwind sat on the platform next to the Predacon bones as she tinkered with one of Ratchet's small machines. It was a simply device to test any Synthetic Energon they created. The medic seemed to spend all his time trying to figure it out and the femme was beginning to wonder if it was even possible. It felt like very little progress was being made despite all the time spent on it.

However, for the moment her thoughts were elsewhere. Agent Fowler had ok'ed the email to her parents and allowed it to be sent off. The anticipation of receiving a reply filled her with excitement. She knew Raf would inform her as soon as the message came through but she was restless during the waiting. Thoughts of her failure the previous day invaded her mind, poking at her excitement.

_'Doing alright over here?'_ The voiceless scout walked over to her, startling her from her thoughts.

Looking up from her work the purple femme put on a smile. "Yeah, doing just fine..." Dropping her head she frowned, "Could've done without yesterday's events though. But, I guess that's just life. And, I survived. So that's a good thing."

Bumblebee chirped with amusement. _'Couldn't we all. Wasn't the greatest day for many of us but we all made it and we'll get those Cons yet.'_

Putting down her work, Violetwind turned to face him. "Shame we all couldn't have done a little better." She gave a little huff, "Ya know I almost had Knock Out. Twice! I guess I'm just not suited to this." Her gaze wandered over to the bots in the hanger, her door wings sagging. "Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here..."

On the other side of her mind she could tell Windy felt uncomfortable, still a little guilty about what had happened and for the state of her situation. Yet, her inner companion remained silent.

Violetwind let out a silent apology to her friend, it had not been her intention to upset her other half.

_'Hey, don't talk like that,'_ the mech beeped. _'You're here because you're _ment_ to be here.'_

She turned her head back to look at him, her blue optics conveying her uncertainty. "I'm only here because of an accident, Bee. Not because I possess any remarkable skills. Wrong place, wrong time... A terrible coincidence."

Sitting down beside her, the black and yellow mech stared back at her with soft optics. _'Someone once said there are no such thing as coincidences and I think it's no coincidence that you're with us now. You just need to find your place.'_

Letting out a sigh, the femme dropped her head. "That's easier said than done."

Bumblebee let his own helm sink as he tried to come up with a way to encourage her. After a few seconds of silence, he happily lifted his gaze to her again, _'I believe there was something said by an old turtle on one of the films Raf watched with me about a panda. Something about pasts and tomorrow's and the now.' _

Smiling a little she recalled the scene. "It was, 'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.'"

_'See, already good at something. She's got a good memory.'_ His words briefly brought a full smile to her face, before it fell away, so he continued, _'And isn't that what you should be doing too. Seeing each day as a gift. Using each moment to the best of your abilities.' _

Glancing at him, Violetwind offered a smile of appreciation. "Thanks, Bee. You're worth keeping around."

_'And don't you think otherwise!'_ he scolded.

"Wouldn't dream of it. You're like family."

_'Good, cause family means I can so this,'_ quickly he wrapped an arm around her neck and with the other he gave her a noogie.

"Hey, stop that!" she protested, trying to protect her helm as well as struggle to get free. "Stop..."

The mech chirped in chuckle like way but kept going. _'If you want it to stop you'll have to escape.' _

"No fair," she whined, pulling at the arm around her neck.

"You're not being too hard on her, are you?" came a teasing voice. The pair looked up to see Smokescreen grinning at them. "You should be glad Ultra Magnus is still out on patrol. I don't think he'd approve."

_'No he wouldn't, but he's not here right now so...'_ He continued to gently rub away at the femme's helm.

"Hey, no! Smokescreen, help me!" Violetwind called out, still trying to resist the scout's 'attack.' Although the action did not hurt it her, it was incredibly annoying.

"I donno, I'm sure you can handle it," he grinned at her. "But, maybe I could help a little." Stepping forward the blue mech reached over to grab hold of her wrists. Holding on tightly he pulled them away from where she was trying to stop Bumblebee.

"Hey, that's not helping!" she protested.

He chuckled playfully, "Is too. It's helping Bee."

The mech beeped in agreement.

"No fair, you're both bigger than me!"

A small figure walked up to the trio calling up, "Sorry to interrupt, but Violet your reply has come back."

They all paused to look down at Rafael, Bumblebee slowly letting the femme go, Smokescreen doing the same.

_'The one from her parents?'_

The boy nodded.

"You're a life saver, Raf. Such great timing," Violetwind smiled as she gave each of the mechs a light hit. "That's for ganging up on me."

The blue mech laughed, "You loved it."

Standing up she turned back to face him, a teasing light in her optics. "You try that again and you'll end up like Knock Out."

"You just try," Smokescreen taunted, a wry grin on his face.

Whirring, the scout raised his hands defensively, _'Whoa now, I'm not gonna mess with that.' _

The rookie bumped the mech on the shoulder, "Come on, two against one, I bet we can take her."

Violetwind huffed, "That's not even fair."

Grinning in amusement, Rafael added his own opinion as he readjusted his glasses, "Maybe Arcee should join Violet? It'd be a much fairer fight. Femmes verses mechs."

"Now that's an idea. I like that, Raf. Nice thinking," the femme smiled down at the boy.

"Aww come on, really?" whined Smokescreen.

Nodding she glanced back at Rafael. "Let's leave these two and check out that email."

_'Hope it's good news,'_ the scout waved.

"We'll be here if you need us," the blue mech added.

The human and femme walked off, headed for the human's area where Rafael had left his laptop. Sitting back down at he table, he turned the computer screen so Violetwind could read what the email said.

_Dear Victoria, we are happy to hear that your are doing well. We have to admit that we were getting a little worried after not having heard from you for so long. Then when we were contacted by that official government man, we thought the worst until he explained what you were doing. It's exciting to know our baby is doing something she loves and we wish you all the best for your project research. It's also great to know that you're making friends with your colleagues. There's nothing worse than not getting along with the people you work with. _

_We've made plans to head down to your place next week and pack up your things like you asked. Your father has already arranged some space in the attic for the boxes. As for the larger items be sure to let us know what you want to keep and whether we should throw them away or sell them. We'll figure something out. _

_We have some news too. Joseph has moved. He now lives on a small island off Maine doing odd jobs. He seems to love it there, apparently there's always something to fix so he's kept busy. _

_So keep safe, dear. We love you. Mum and Dad. _

Rafael broke the silence that followed after she had finished reading. "Do you want to reply now? And who's Joseph? "

The femme nodded, "Yes." She paused, momentarily thoughtful, remembering what Windy had told her about her family. "He's my older brother." Her spark became weighed down, full of longing and thinking about how great her parents sounded. She really wished she could remember them for herself.

_I wish I had known people like them. They seem like really genuine people. _

_They do._

_You think Agent Fowler would let us go see them? Like just from afar. _

_Only way to know is to ask... _

~oOo~

Violetwind and Rafael spent some time working on a reply. Soon enough they had come up with an email that would satisfy Agent Fowler and not give away any important information or cause any suspicion.

Once they had finished, she had explained her desire to see her parents to the special agent but he was not responding they way she had hoped.

"There's no way in Uncle Sam's beard that you're going! We already have enough trouble keeping everyone's existence under wraps and now you want to go gallivanting off to visit civilians? No, Violetwind. I forbid it. I don't need any more hassle." The man was adamant looking up at her from the walkway, "So, no. You're not going!"

"But, Fowler, please. I'll take one of the kids, I won't be a car roaming about by itself. Please," she whined, not wanting to give up on the matter.

"I said no, and that's final."

_Slagging Fowler._

Stomping a pede she glared down at the man, a low growl in her throat. "No one will even notice me! And I highly doubt the Cons will be there this time. They don't even know my parents have any connection to us!"

"And we're going to keep it that way! You're better off just using the emails to contact them. They'll be a lot safer that way!"

The femme huffed with displeasure but knew when she was beaten. With a low rumble she stormed off into a corner were she transformed into her alternate mode facing the wall.

"Just like taking care of children..." muttered Fowler, waking back into his office.

"Hey, Vi? I'm sure you'll get to go see them someday," Smokescreen grinned tried to offer some hope as he came up behind her.

"Go away," she grumbled, not moving.

He tilted his helm in confusion. "Hey, what's up with-"

"I said leave me alone!" the femme snapped.

Taken off guard, he stood in silence, letting a few seconds tick by. It wasn't like her to be so quick-tempered. Eventually he moved again, taking a step away, figuring that she probably just needed some space. "If that's what you want. But I'll be here if you need me."

"I won't."

Letting out a small sigh, Smokescreen turned around and slowly walked off. His spark felt heavy from the rejection, not understanding why she had been so cold. It hurt to be turned away in such a harsh manner. Now he knew a how she must have felt during their one and only fight when she came after him. It was not pleasant.

~oOo~

Hours passed and it grew late into the night. It saw Optimus Prime briefly return from patrol only to head out again. Ultra Magnus also returned during that time. He remained at the base, however, sending Smokescreen out in his stead. Bulkhead and Arcee also returned to switch places on patrol with Wheeljack and Bumblebee.

During this time everyone left Violetwind alone in the corner to recharge, or so they assumed. In reality, the femme was watching everything, a plan forming in her mind. She _was_ going to get to see her parents and nobody could stop her.

_Are you sure about this?_ questioned Windy with concern.

_Very sure. _

_Ok then. Ratchet's finally in recharge along with Magnus and Arcee leaving only Bulkhead to deal with._

_Good._ She had been starting to think the medic was going to pull another all nighter and prevent her from pulling off her plans, but now that he was asleep...

Doing her best to keep quiet, she transformed and turned around to see where the remaining mech was. With his back to her, Bulkhead was focused on one of the monitors, likely scanning for Decepticon activity.

Slowly she approached him, making as little noise as possible. Spotting one of Ratchet's wrenches, she picked it up and held it tightly with both hands. Although she felt a little bad for what she was about to do, it needed to happen.

Climbing the platform to give herself some height, she raised the wrench above her head. Violetwind paused for a moment in indecision but it was only that, a moment, and her features hardened. She brought the wrench down against Bulkhead's helm and he fell to the floor with a crash.

The femme held her breath, fearful that the noise might have woken someone. A few tense sparkbeats went by but there was only a few slight stirrings from the humans and Autobots. Having woken no one she allowed herself to relax.

Stepping around the unconscious green mech to get to the ground bridge controls, she dropped the wrench by his head and muttered, "Sorry about that, Bulk."

Quickly she input the coordinates and the ground bridge sprang to life. Giving a final glance around, Violetwind narrowed her optics, "I hope you'll understand. But, I have to do this..."

Transforming she slipped through the vortex letting it close behind her as she disappeared.

* * *

Kung fu Panda quote, just because I can. Also obligatory Get Smart reference. 'sorry about that, chief.'  
Planned this part out as one chapter but it did not happen and so will be split into two. Also, so not sorry about how the end played out. Was way more cliffhangery than I intended. But what's a little suspense after all. XD


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone!  
I want to thank you all for reading this story. I have so much fun writing it and I makes me happy to know you enjoy it too. However, there will be no updates for the next month as I embark on taking on the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I won't have time to do editing on this story hence the delay with chapters. Hopefully, though, I shall come out of it with a third story for Violetwind and the rest of the Autobots. :D

So have fun and hope the wait isn't too long for ya!

* * *

Chapter 7

The early morning sun was just rising over the east coast of America as a lone, purple Holden cruised over the highway towards her destination; the small town of Ocean City in New Jersey. Violetwind was headed for her parent's place.

As she drove her anxiety ebbed away and in its place her excitement grew. She was going to get to see her parents.

"This is so great!"

_Shhh, keep it down. We don't need to attract any fragging attention._

_Got it, sorry. _

She could feel her inner companion give her an internal shake of the head. _Well, at least your windows are slightly tinted and will make it harder for anyone to see that you're without a driver._

_Wish I could change the tinting on mine like KITT. That would be cool._

_'Cos being a alien robotic life form that transforms into a car isn't cool enough for you,_ Windy teased.

_Nah, needs to be about twenty percent cooler. _

The pair giggled in silly amusement, just enjoying the slight back and forth. It also felt so good to be out and about with no worries.

_We should take drives more often. This is nice. _

_It is. I'm still not sure about water but your oceans sure look impressive._

_Yeah..._ Silence dragged on for a short time before the femme asked, _Did we ever go to the beach as a family? My parents and my brother and me? _

_You did. And slag, it looked like you had some fun. I wish I could have been there too._

Violetwind let out a small whine, "Me too..."

Windy instantly realised what she'd done._ I'm sorry, Vi. I didn't mean to upset you with that. But hey, that's why we're going, to get some new memories of your folks._

_It is,_ she perked up, _so let's get there already!_

A rumbling noise was heard as she revved her engine and accelerated down the road. Forgetting about the speed limit, the vehicle zipped along, the waves lapping at the sand on one side and the green grass on the other.

They soon reached the town and found themselves in the residential area. Violetwind slowed down so they could read the street signs and Windy directed her to the right house. Finding the place, she pulled up on the other side of the street to wait.

The house her parents owned was of an average size for the houses of that area. Like most of the others, it was three stories high with a veranda around the front and side of the house, with a balcony above it. Around the other side of the building a single car garage connected to a driveway that led out the front. The house itself was located a street away from the coastline, a less than two minute walk from the shore.

_So now what?_

_We wait I guess. It's not like I can go and knock on the door..._

_Mmm, yeah, I don't that would go down too well,_ her partner agreed.

So they waited... And waited... And waited... Then finally their patience paid off. The garage door opened to reveal a blue Mercury Milan. Inside were two occupants, a man and a woman.

_There! It's them! It's them! That is them, isn't it?_ Violetwind rocked on her tires.

The car backed out of the driveway and they were able to get a better look at its occupants. A man with silver streaks in his hair from age was driving. A brown haired woman sat on the passengers side, wearing a flowery top.

_Calm down,_ Windy hissed. _That's them, let's follow._

Trailing after the blue car, Violetwind made sure to keep a good distance between them, ten to fifteen metres where she could. They soon led her to the shopping centre's carpark. Parking the car, the couple headed off to do some shopping. This was where the femme got her best look at the pair as she slowly drove around, following them as far as she could before they entered the building.

Huffing, she stopped by the curb. _Now what?_

_Looks like you'll have to wait._

_Scrap. Guess I'll just park right here then. Nobody will mind right? At least from here I'll see my parents as soon as they come out. _

Switching off her engine, she was glad it was a quiet day. With not many people around she was less likely to be noticed.

While she was waiting, Violetwind began to feel tired. After staying up to plan and then wait for everyone else to be busy or in recharge she had neglected to get any for herself. Only now were systems starting to feel the pressure.

_Maybe you'd better get some recharge._ Windy suggested, _I'm pretty sure they'll be a while._

_Maybe... _She fought off the tiredness. _But... _

However, it was a loosing battle. With the excitement over, sleep won out in the end and she fell into dreamland.

~oOo~

The purple femme was jerked awake as something touched her front axle. The surprise elicited a squeal of fright which she quickly cut short realising where she was. Spark beating heavily she glanced around to find out what was happening. Nearby stood two men with bright fluoro vests, one having just climbed out from under her front.

It was this man that spoke, "Did you hear something?"

"Yeah, bit of a screech. Did ya scrap the metal down there?"

He frowned at the thought. "No I didn't."

"Whatever. Just get in the truck. We gotta tow this car to the impound." The older man waved towards the tow truck now anchored to Violetwind's front.

"Yeah, yeah," replied the other as they headed for the cab, "I was there too ya know. I heard the officer. Don't need to repeat it."

_Oh scrap. Oh scrap. Oh scrap._ The femme whined in worry. She was about to be towed off. What was she supposed to do? Should she transform and run off? Violetwind quickly dismissed the idea; there would be too many witnesses. Worse, the Decepticons could catch wind of the stir it might cause and put her parents in danger.

The tow truck slowly started to yank her front end up till her wheels were off the ground. Fear and panic coursed though her. _Scrap, why did I have to go off alone..._

_I don't slagging know. We always end up in trouble!_

_Next time, can you do a better job at talking me out of things like this? _

_Hey, it's not like it was a bad idea! And besides, I'm not your conscience._

_Yeah, yeah, I know... _

The truck eased forward, driving away with Violetwind anchored to its rear. The femme wished she was in robot mode so she could burst into tears. This was not how she had envisioned the day to go. Not only was she currently in the custody of the local human authorities but they were also taking her away from her parents. She had been hoping for more of a look at them than that...

_Slag. I don't know how to get out of this. If we could fight I could easily help you with that but..._

The femme withheld her sobbing. _I understand. I guess, I'll have to call the others. _

_I don't think they'll be too pleased after what you did. Running away and all..._

_I know, but I don't think I have a choice unless I make a break for it. _

_You'd better not. We don't need to cause even more strife._

Taking a deep vent of air, Violetwind prepared to comm link back to base. She was certain that whoever answered would give her a chewing out for going AWOL but she had to do it and steeled herself for the reprimand.

~oOo~

Back at the base, the beeps of an incoming call interrupted Ratchet's work. Looking up from his task he recognised the caller just as they started speaking.

**::**Violetwind calling base. Violetwind calling base. Anyone there?**::**

"Violetwind, where have you fragging been?!" growled the medic.

The car shuddered from fright at the mech's anger. **::**R-R-Ratchet... Hi...**::**

Tapping his pede on the ground, he waited for an answer.

**::**Well, um, I can assure you I have a very good reason for being out...**::**

"I don't think there is any reason good enough for using one of my wrenches to whack Bulkhead on the helm. You dented it."

**::**Bulkhead's helm? Oh gosh, please tell him I'm so so sorry about that!**::**

"No! My wrench! I needed that..."

The femme was silent a moment trying to process what just happened. If she had been standing beside him, she would have giving him a half confused skeptical look.

Before it had a chance to sink in thought, Windy spoke up, **::**Ratchet, we don't have time for this. We need assistance.**::**

"Windy?"

**::**Yeah, it's me. I thought we went over this,**::** her inner companion was not amused.

"Hey, who's calling, Ratch? Is it Violet?" Smokescreen asked hopefully as he approached. He had been worried since they found out she was missing. Optimus had figured she would come back in her own time and so left her to her own devices for the time being.

Violetwind shifted uncomfortably, recalling how rude she had been to the blue mech but did not say anything.

Glancing at Smokescreen, Ratchet nodded, "It is."

Immediately he perked up, rushing the rest of the distance to the computer console. "Vi? What happened? Where are you? Are you alright?"

The medic shoved him aside with a glare. "If you don't mind."

**::**I'm- I'm fine. Well mostly. Um, I'm- I'm really sorry, Smoke. I was so rude before. I shouldn't have been. I don't know why I was so upset but I had no right to take it out on you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me?**::** Violetwind apologised, feeling guilty about the whole thing and hoping he would not hold it against her.

The mech let out a vent of relief, a smile slipping onto his face. "Course, I forgive you, you silly, femme. If that's why you left, just forget about it and come back."

**::**Um about that...**::**

**::**We've hit trouble and it starts and ends with the local law enforcement.**::**

"The police?" Ratchet raised an optic ridge in questioning.

The rookie held a similar expression, "What about them?"

**::**They... Started towing me away...**::** she replied.

"Oh great..." muttered the medic shaking his head.

"What?" the younger mech tilted his head in confusion.

**::**Um, I'm not quite sure but I guess that wasn't a parking space I stopped in. And now I'm being towed away and don't know what to do. That's why I called...**::** she explained, still a little flustered by her predicament. **::**What do I do?**::**

Smokescreen broke into a smile and laughed.

**::**It's not funny,**::** the femme whined.

"It isn't," Ratchet agreed, glaring at the chuckling mech.

"Actually, it is. Just a little," he returned still laughing. "You sneak out of base, taking down one of the biggest mechs in the process, and then get caught by the local humans for something like parking in the wrong place!"

**::**It's not _that_ funny,**::** muttered Windy dryly.

The heavy pede steps of their leader neared the pair. "What is happening?"

Hearing his voice through the comm link, Violetwind wished she could vanish, even if he could not actually see her at that moment anyway. Being swallowed up by the ground would surely be better than speaking to him.

"Violetwind is being towed away as we speak. She requires assistance," the medic explained to Optimus as his companion tried to stop chuckling.

"I see." Looking to the monitors he spoke to the femme, "Violetwind, remain in vehicular mode and maintain your cover."

With a tight feeling in her vocalisers she tried to gulp before she replied, **::**Y-yes, Optimus.**::**

"I believe you will require human assistance. Agent Fowler will be sent to your location."

**::**Yes, sir...**::**

"Violetwind?"

**::**Y-yes?"**::**

"What was your reason for leaving?" Optimus asked calmly, not a hint of accusation in his voice.

**::**Um, well, I-**::** she fumbled over her words, **::**I wanted so badly to see my parents but- but then Agent Fowler wouldn't let me go... He told me I could only have contact with them through the emails. But it wasn't like I was going to talk with them anyway! And...**::** Sobbing came through the call as she trailed off.

**::**Vi...**::** Windy tried to comfort the femme.

Optimus was quiet, thoughtful for a moment before he spoke. "Violetwind, while your actions may not have been well thought through, I understand your motives. Please remain calm. Your assistance will be there shortly."

Turing from the console, he lowered his voice, "Try to keep her occupied until Agent Fowler arrives. I will speak to him and you may then ground bridge him to Violetwind's location."

"Of course," Ratchet nodded, glancing at Smokescreen.

The younger mech nodded as well. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Optimus wandered off to go talk with Fowler, leaving them with Violetwind.

The special agent wandered out of his office after a few taps to the door. "What is it?" he grumbled up at the Autobot leader.

"Violetwind requires your assistance."

The man scowled. "What in the name of Lincon's horse has she gotten herself into?"

"It stands to reason it is a simple matter to do with the local authorities," Optimus told him.

He sighed, briefly closing his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She went to see her parents, didn't she?"

"Yes, Agent Fowler. Ratchet will bridge you there, now."

"Alright. Let's go."

~oOo~

William Fowler stood outside the police impound. He shook his head and sighed, thinking for the umpteenth time that working with bots was one of the most challenging things he had ever done in his life. And, this one that used to be human was proving to be the most difficult of them all.

Nevertheless he could not leave her in there any longer. The African-American straightened his tie and walked up to the building. Entering, he quickly spotted the front desk and headed towards it.

"Special Agent Fowler," he showed his government card to the woman behind the desk, "Could you direct me to the person in charge of your car impound?"

"That would be Ronny. I'll buzz him and get him here," picking up the phone she pressed a button. "Ronny, there's someone here who wishes to speak with you." She paused as there was a response on the other end. "No, Ronny, I don't think I can do that. He's some kind of government agent." She paused again. "No, I don't think he'll wait." The woman rolled her eyes. "Alright, thank you."

Putting down the receiver she smiled up at Fowler. "He'll be right down. Feel free to just wait here."

The man grunted and wandered off a little to stare at some pictures on the wall as he waited.

It was not long before this 'Ronny' showed up. He had a tanned appearance with a brown beard and hair, grey speckled though it showing his age. He did not look happy about being disturbed. "Alright, what's goin' on?"

Stepping forward Fowler questioned, "So you're the man to see about the impounded cars?"

"Yes, that'd be me. Whadya want?"

"I believe you have a vehicle that's of interest to me. Would you mind if we went to have a look?"

Ronny looked him up and down, "Lisa said you're from the government. Let's see some papers then we'll see."

Fowler pulled out his ID card to show the man, who seemed somewhat satisfied after that. "Alright, I'll take you out back." He started to walk, turning back to tell Fowler, "But unless you got some sort of orders to take it I can't let ya have it."

They exited the rear of the building as Agent Fowler responded. "If that car is the one I'm looking for that you'll have to let me take it. I cannot leave without it. It's a vital part of a federal investigation."

"Well anyway, here we are. Quiet full at the moment really."

The parking lot out back had space for about ten cars, but only half of that was taken up making the government man's job easy. He quickly spotted Violetwind sitting between a red Chevrolet and a black van. Walking over he patted the bonnet (hood) and made a bit of a show inspecting the vehicle.

Violetwind had never been so happy to see Fowler as she did the moment he walked out the door. The towing people had been rough with her and this Ronny had not been kind either. He seemed to think himself some sort of 'car enthusiast' and had a poke around her engine, having been muttering about not seeing a car like her before and wanting to check out 'how she runs.' However, she had annoyed him by locking down her bonnet so he couldn't get in. He'd tried to force his way in but that had not worked. Much to her relief, the man had eventually given up.

However, now that Agent Fowler was there she could finally go home and leave this place behind her. So the femme waited patiently as he looked her over as if he was checking that she was indeed the car he was looking for.

Finishing his 'inspection' Fowler moved to stand beside the man in charge of the impound. "That's the car alright. I'll need to take it with me."

"I already said I can't let you do that. I need the proper paperwork before I can release it," Ronny replied firmly.

"And I said that it's needed for a government investigation. I need that car." Agent Fowler was growing extremely impatient with the man.

"And I'll tell you again-"

"No, you won't. You will go over to that gate. Open it up. And let me drive out with this vehicle. Do you understand? Cause if you don't, I'll have you thrown into some two bit cleaning job where you're unlikely to see the light of day. Got it?" he barked, not about to take any more excuses from the man.

Ronny gulped but nodded. "Yes. Yes of course. I'll got get the gate..." He scurried off do just that.

After seeing his outburst, Violetwind remained silent. She was not about to say anything that might earn Fowler's wrath. It was most likely she was already the cause of his stressed state.

With a huff, he wordlessly walked over to the driver's side, the femme opening the door for him to climb in. Turning on her engine she let Fowler have the controls and he took them out to the impound's gate, where Ronny stood holding it open.

Leaning out the window, the agent gave him a firm glare. "Now you'd better get this right or I'm coming after you. This car was never here. You never saw it. You wipe it from your records. You got that?"

"Yes, sir," he replied nervously.

"Good. I hope we don't meet again." With that, he drove off, leaving Ronny to wonder what had just happened.

After a few minutes of driving they were making their way out of town and the silence was getting to Violetwind. Clearing her vocalisers she nervously tried to speak. "A-agent Fowler... I'm really sorry..."

The man glared down at her and growled, "And so you should be! You had _no_ right to go against my orders. I told you you couldn't go visit your parents. You had no permission from your superiors to even _leave_ the base. By Uncle Sam's beard, Violetwind! Get your head into gear. We're in a war. We don't have time for gallivanting off about on joy trips!"

He continued to chew her out for a few minutes as she listened quietly, feeling very small indeed. Eventually though he deemed her reprimanded enough and with a sigh allowed her to call back to base for pick up.

They came though the ground bridge and were greeted by the Bots gathered around the entrance. Even the human children stood together on the closest walkway. Stopping she allowed Agent Fowler to get out before she transformed. Not willing to look at any of them, Violetwind stared at the floor, her door wings sagging. The femme wrapped her arms around herself, trying to think of something to say.

"All yours, Prime," called the man as he went back to his office, muttering a string of annoyances along he way.

Turning his attention back to the femme, Optimus was gentle, "Violetwind-"

"I'm sorry, Optimus," she interrupted, "I know I shouldn't have left..." Glancing up at Bulkhead she continued, "and I'm real sorry, Bulk, for knocking you out like that. I hope you're alright."

The green mech grinned. "Takes more than a little bump to hurt me."

She snorted and smiled a little but there was no joy behind it. Ignoring everyone else as they watched, she looked up at Optimus, feeling like she had betrayed his trust. Silently the femme cursed herself for having even thought of going rouge like that. "Please forgive me..."

Determining that she had received an audio full from Fowler, Optimus granted her mercy. "Violetwind, I ask that you do not make a habit of leaving without permission. Next time, if you are troubled, talk with someone. I, for one, am always ready to listen."

_'Same here,'_ added Bumblebee.

"Yes, Optimus," she lowered her helm like a scolded child "I think I'll just get some recharge for now, if that's alright?"

He nodded, "Of course."

Shuffling away, the femme transformed and parked over near one of the corners, trying to ignore the optics still watching her.

"You think she'll be ok, Optimus?" Smokescreen questioned the mech with concern.

He let out a deep vent before replying, "I do believe so. We must remember that what she is going through none of us could even hope to imagine..."

While the bots broke their positions and milled about, one turned back to his computer. Ratchet brought out the brain scans from behind his work on the Synthetic Energon. Letting out a frustrated sigh he looked over them again, noting the differences from those he had previously performed and the one from a few days ago. "What is going on with you now, Violetwind...?"

* * *

I'm all over the references today! (well on the day I wrote it anyway, when I wrote the end of the last chapter too.) A nod to KITT from the 80's Knight Rider and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic right after that. And I managed to get Ratchet and wrenches in there. Hehe so happy.  
Not gonna lie, I wanted to her parents to have a Ford Shelby GT500 in homage to the KITT from the '08 Knight Rider series but it was probs too sporty for them.

Have to admit, I had some fun using google maps to look around Ocean City. Was a little surprised that I took so little time to find where her parents were to live. Just knew I wanted them to be on the east coast of America and set off on google maps. Within a few clicks saw the name and thought it sounded interesting. Had a poke around, read the wiki and was in love. I want to go there for real now!

I'm really happy to be able to bring you this chapter. The core idea, with Violet being towed away, was an idea I came up with ages ago during work on the first story. I was going to use it as a short story but I'm glad I could implement it into this one. :D

**tl:dr = references, google maps, idea long wanted to be used, sorry for gushing**

See you in December!


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to my readers and my faithful reviewers, AllSpark Princess, Steel autobot and ZabuzasGirl for your continued interest! 3  
The wild month of writing called NaNoWriMo went well. I got so much done for the next story (making it to the 50,000 and therefore a win!) and am quite happy not needing to write at such a breakneck pace any more. Although I have so much editing to do now... (the second half of Battle of the Mind still requires an initial edit and this new one needs a lot fixed.) Good news is though, I'll be getting back to regularly posting up a new chapter each week!  
But I'm sure you don't want to hear about that. So on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 8

A few days passed since Violetwind went off on her own. Ever since she returned she had been distant towards the other bots; mostly keeping to herself and only working with Ratchet when she was required to do so. Even then, she did not say much. Truth was she felt guilty for causing trouble. Thinking back she did not understand where such a drastic notion had come from. Yet, she'd done it anyway.

The femme sighed as she tried to put it out of her mind and focus on her task. Ratchet had her going over the Synthetic Energon formula again. He kept saying that if she was to help, she needed to know it as well as he did. So she sat their trying to learn what she could.

_Ugh, isn't there something else we could do? Like go for a drive? I'm fragging bored._

_I don't think Ratchet would approve, Windy._

_Slag. But we haven't left the base since- well, since we kinda ran off._

_I know..._ Violetwind shifted in her spot, uncomfortable about the reminder.

Her inner companion huffed, _Come on, I know I'm not the only one getting bored with this. Just tell him you know it, so we can move on._

_But I don't wanna lie... _

_It isn't lying. I know it therefore, you know it. Please..._ she whined.

The femme tilted her helm trying to ignore her friend's logic. Even if it was technically correct, it was a little dirty. _You've never been this bored before. What's up with you? _

Windy sighed, _It's just the first time I've started to feel slagging restless. Before you knew what I was I felt needed to be quiet. Plus I had our memories to sift through. But now-_

_Now you've had enough of that and want more,_ Violetwind smiled in amusement.

_Exactly! Come on, Vi, despite how our last trip ended (and began) we had a good time._

_For the most part. _

_Please._

_Windy..._ she scolded slightly, pausing as she noticed Ultra Magnus walk up to where she and Ratchet were situated.

Only glancing her way briefly, he addressed the medic. "Doctor, what is the current status of your Synthetic Energon experiments?"

"We are doing the best we can, commander, given the lack of functional equipment at out disposal," the orange and white mech replied.

"You do realise that an alternate energon source may be essential to our survival."

Ratchet sighed, doing his best to keep from being annoyed. "Believe me, Ultra Magnus," he turned to look at the bot, "no one is more acutely aware of the stakes than I am."

Raising an optic ridge, Ultra Magnus grunted softly, "Of course."

He glanced at Violetwind again. Feeling nervous under his gaze, the femme quickly dropped her head and got back to her task, making a little noise as she did so. Making another small grunt, he turned and walked over to where the others were logging a report at the main console.

Relaxing as he left, Violetwind glanced after him. "I feel a little sorry for Ultra Magnus. He seems a little out of place."

"What makes you say that?" Ratchet looked up from his work.

"Well," she tilted her head, watching as he spoke with the others, "he just doesn't seem to have a connection with anybody. And he _never_ relaxes."

_Maybe we should spike his energon,_ Windy suggested earning an optic roll from her companion.

"That's just his way," murdered Ratchet going back to what he was doing.

Wheeljack entered the hanger, earning a gruff reprimand from the commander. The femme just sighed sadly, thinking of how lonely it would be to be surrounded by Bots and yet have no friends among them.

All of a sudden a noise like a jet overhead alerted them to the return of their leader. Optimus landed outside the entrance, immediately gaining joyful welcomes from his team.

"See, even look at that. He's left behind as everyone goes to greet Optimus," she pointed towards Ultra Magnus as he stood alone.

"You're not up there," the medic commented, waving a finger at her.

"But I'm not alone, I'm with you," she returned.

_Hey, what about me._

"... And I have Windy."

The mech grunted, rolling his optics with a brief smile. "And how about the past few days?"

Letting out a breath, her door wings drooped and gaze dropped to the floor. "Well that's dif-"

She did not get the chance to say more as they heard Optimus speaking.

"Decepticon activity is at a low. I fear that Megatron may have collected the specimens he requires to..." Optimus trailed off, his optics staring over the heads of his team. He also noticed Ultra Magnus standing by himself, watching from afar. The mech looked out of place and likely felt it, causing a stir in the Prime's spark. "... Clone his army..."

_Slag, that's not good._

"That's bad news for us," Arcee muttered, folding her arms.

"But excellent news for the Cons," grumbled Smokescreen.

Slipping away from Ratchet, the purple femme got a little closer. Having distanced herself for a while now, she figured maybe it was time to be around the other Bots again. It would not do her much good to push them away forever and it would hopefully help entertain Windy to just be around them more.

"We need to smash 'em." the green mech banged his fists together.

"Bit hard, Bulk, when we don't know where they are," Wheeljack rested a hand on his friend.

_We could have more problems than a scraplet invasion if we aren't able to so something soon..._

_Bad right?_

_Slag yeah._

~oOo~

Standing at the hanger doors, Ultra Magnus watched the humans outside do their drills. It caused his thoughts to wander back to his time on Cybertron when he was training the Elite Guard before the war.

"Ultra Magnus."

The mech turned towards the deep voice, his gaze resting on Optimus as he approached.

"Something has been troubling you."

He withheld a sigh, feeling like that may have been the understatement of the vorn. "I fear my command style may have be having a negative effect on unit moral."

"Your service is most welcome, old friend," Optimus rested a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "But this is not the Elite Guard."

"Things have changed since the war for Cybertron."

"And we must adapt to that change. The members of Team Prime are not cogs in a machine." The mech turned to look fondly over at the Bots as they were gathered together, "They have grown into something greater than an army. They have become-"

Optimus was cut off as Ratchet called out, "Optimus! Our scanners have detected exposed enegon."

His faceplates darkened, dropping his conversation with Ultra Magnus for the time being. "With our reserves at a critical low we cannot afford not to investigate."

Glancing over at his companion he silently apologised for the interruption.

However, Ultra Magnus understood. Giving the leader a nod, he stepped forward, "Autobots, prepare to roll out!"

Seeing the others begin to prepare to leave, Violetwind felt a little lost and left out as they got ready around her. They grabbed weapons in preparation to raid the Decepticons. While they did so, the femme fingered the small compartment under the plating on her waist where she had taken to storing her immobilizing bombs. After the incident with Knock Out, she thought it wise to have something extra tucked away at all times.

Knowing how she felt, Windy urged, _Come on, go ahead. Ask if you can join them. If we stay, we'll both be fragging bored out of our minds._

_But fighting... _

_You've got the bombs. They're non lethal. Please,_ she pressed a bit harder.

Dropping her head, the femme sighed in defeat. "Alright. I'll see if we can."

Approaching Optimus, she wrung her hands together. "O-Optimus...?"

Hearing her soft voice call his name, the mech turned to look down at her, his curiosity hidden behind a blank face. "Is anything wrong, Violetwind?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could come too. I know I'm not the best at fights but-" she brought out some of her bombs, "I have these. And Windy's kept me safe so far. And..."

Hugging her arms to her chest, she lowered her optics. "And... I want to stop feeling like a liability... To earn my keep... I haven't been very helpful lately and I want to change that."

The request was unexpected, making it difficult for Optimus to respond right away. Slowly his mind accepted the proposal, believing that perhaps the femme could do with a confidence boost after all she had been through. With all of them going, except for Ratchet, there would be little chance of trouble.

After what seemed like an eternity to Violetwind and Windy, he replied. "I shall allow you to join us, if that is what you desire. You may accompany the Stealth Team," Optimus motioned towards Arcee, Bumblebee and Smokescreen.

_Woo hoo! Action and adventure, here we come!_

Smokescreen regarded her curiously but remained silent.

_'You're joining us, Vi? Great! And no need to worry, we'll keep you safe,'_ Bumblebee chirped.

"Just so long as you do your part when you roll with us. We don't have time to take on stragglers," warned Arcee, hands on her hips.

Nodding and moving closer, she replaced the immobilising bombs in her subspace. "I won't be any trouble. I promise."

"You sure you're up for this?"

Violetwind looked over at Smokescreen, hurt by the doubt in his voice but understood why he might feel that way. "I know I haven't exactly been welcoming to company as of late but... I..." She glanced at each of them, "I'm sorry for pushing you all away. I was kind of hoping that coming would help fix what I broke. I still want friends. Especially good friends, like you guys..."

The scout trilled happily, _'Of course. Like we could turn you away. I mean look at that cute face. It's too sweet.'_ Reaching over he playfully rubbed her helm, earning a grin from the femme.

Arcee rolled her optics but smiled. "What am I going to do with you?"

With a chuckle, she shrugged. "Love me?"

This earned a small laugh from the blue femme as she shook her head.

Noticing that Smokescreen's gaze was turned away, the femme whined softly. "Smoke?"

He did not respond, optics locked on the ground.

"You're not still sore about me leaving, are you?"

"No," the mech replied calmly, not looking at her.

_Go over to him._

Moving to his side, the femme touched his arm. Immediately his helm whipped around to look at her hand then to her, surprise in his optics.

Violetwind's lips trembled with a nervous smile, "Please. Don't you think we work better as a team? Nothing good ever seems to happen when _I_ try to do things alone. I end up in trouble or hurt or both. And I don't want to go without my friend this time..."

Slowly his stance relaxed. "Bee's right. Your face is too sweet. Besides," he smirked, "You might need me to pull your aft out of trouble again."

_Hahaha, this kid's great. We should keep him around.  
_

Folding her arms, her optics narrowed as she did her best to appear unamused by his jest. "I swear, one of these days, it'll be _me_ saving _your_ tailpipe."

"We'll see," he grinned unconvinced, "Until then, you just keep believing that."

"You'd better watch it, Smoke. She might just do that," Arcee inclined her head with sly grin.

Putting an arm around both the purple femme and blue mech, Bumblebee whirred, _'Just try not make today a day where anybody's tailpipe's need saving.'_

She smiled, "Sure thing, Bee."

~oOo~

From their places hidden in the woods, the Stealth Team, plus Violetwind, could see the vehicons milling about the mine entrance. They watched as three troopers exited, each pushing a hovering cart of raw energon.

"Optimus, we're in position. Ready when you are," Arcee commed their leader.

**::**Once we have gained their attention, you may begin your assault.**::** came the reply.

"Yes, Sir." The call clicked off and the femme turned to the bots accompanying her. "We're about to go in."

They nodded and murmured in acknowledgement. Violetwind suddenly felt a nervous rising up in her about the situation. Now that she was out in the field, about to engage in an attack, she was starting to have second thoughts about coming.

_Just keep it cool, girl. We can do this. Just listen to little ol' Windy, she'll get ya through._

The femme cracked a smile. _You'd better._

_Don't you be fragging doubting me,_ Windy scolded. _Now, are your bombs ready?_

The purple femme removed the small metallic balls from her subspace. Rolling them around in her fingers she stared at them nervously. _Yep. _

_You know the plan?_

_Stick behind Bee and his shield. Toss a bomb at a group of Cons._

_Good. You're ready._

_Good, cause Optimus and the others have arrived._ Her gaze was focused on the cliff-side above the mine where the Wreckers stood alongside the Autobot leader.

"Decepticons, step away from the energon and surrender," he called down to them as a warning. His compassionate nature wanted to give them a chance before it came to a fight.

The vehicons glanced at each other before coming to an agreement and firing up at the Autobots. This was expected. In unison the three Wreckers leapt over the edge of the cliff in a charge.

Ultra Magnus wielded the forge, ready to hammer some troopers into the ground when he came within range. Meanwhile, Bulkhead carried a heavy gun already firing it into their enemies. Lastly, Wheeljack brought out his two swords. He tossed them at the Decepticons, spearing two on the first try. Not missing a beat, out came his whip. Swinging it around over his head, he propelled it forward to wrap around one of the vehicons. The blue electric 'rope' wrapped around its head giving it a shock before he yanked it and sent the Con to the ground. Then beside him, the wrecker leader reached the ground, slamming his hammer into the nearest trooper, crushing it beyond repair.

Back in the trees, Arcee motioned to her team, "Alright. Go time. Roll out!"

Bumblebee and Smokescreen took the lead, charging forward, shooting as they went. Behind them, Arcee and Violetwind went in. The two wheeler used a blue laser to cut through the vehicons with ease. Violetwind on the other hand, glanced down at the bomb clasped tightly in her fingers in a moment of hesitation.

_This'll work, right?_

_Of course it will! Just fragging throw it!_

Letting out an uncertain vent she wound up for the toss and pelted it at the ground between several troopers. A plume of smoke when up and enveloped them. By the time it dissipated they were frozen in place.

Violetwind quickly readied herself to throw another while Bumblebee used his shield to protect her and Arcee from the volley of shots coming their way.

Smokescreen had no such trouble, already having turned on his phase shifter, allowing them to pass straight through his body. Running at one of the vehicons, he grabbed it and tumbled through a rock. Letting go once they were inside, he left the Decepticon trapped while he tumbled out.

Nearby Violetwind's second bomb went off, capturing two more vehicons in place. The final trooper fired fruitlessly at his enemies in his final moments before Optimus landed on him, joining the Bots at the bottom of the cliff.

The clearing became silent as the noise of battle subsided. With dust settling the Autobots gathered around the three enegon carts.

Picking up a blue shard, Smokescreen grinned, "Look at all that sweet fuel."

"We finally won't have to be rationing it so heavily," muttered Violetwind, running her fingers over the raw energy source.

_And Ratchet doesn't need to stress so much about finalising the Synth-En formula._

The two commanders joined them, Optimus promptly giving an order. "Stealth Team, transport our cargo back to base. Wreckers, reconnoitre the mine."

Smokescreen eagerly jumped forward, dancing lightly between his pedes. "I've always wanted to roll with the Wreckers." Realising how immature he looked, he quickly straightened up, clasping his hands behind his back. "Ah- Sir."

Considering the younger mech's request, Optimus believed it may do him good to go with them. With a nod he replied, "You may accompany the Wreckers, Smokescreen."

Bulkhead grinned and gave the blue mech a hard pat on the back. "Really think you're up for it?"

Recovering his balance from the hit, he turned to the green Bot. "You bet!"

_Hey, let's go too._

_What? Why?_ Violetwind's optics widened.

_You don't want to go back to base yet do you? We only just got out here._ Her inner companion whined.

_I donno..._ glancing at the ground, she could feel Windy pushing on her spark to go. _Fine..._

Moving forward, Violetwind looked up at Optimus to make her request, "Um, I'd like to go too, if I could. I'm still armed. And, I might be of some use in the confined space if the Cons are clustered together."

The large mech was surprised that she wanted to go. "Are you certain you desire to be involved? In all likelihood, there will be more conflict inside."

She nodded, taking a firm stance. "I do."


	9. Chapter 9

Long chapter today folks. Hope I did alright with it, I have mixed feelings about it. Anyway enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9

The sound of pede steps echoed through the tunnel as the five Autobots searched for further signs of their enemies or much needed energon. Ultra Magnus led the way, his left blaster out as they continued forward, his senses alert for trouble. Behind him followed Smokescreen and Violetwind. The former had his own blasters out and at the ready, poised to attack if something suddenly appeared. The latter nervously kept close to her companions, a bomb clutched tightly in her hand like her life depended on it.

Trailing after them was Bulkhead. The mech continued to glance down at a scanner to detect any energon. However, he was confused; his scanner kept coming up empty. Wondering if the device was broken he gave it a tap muttering, "No energon signals..."

Taking up the rear, Wheeljack bent down to take a closer look at the ground adding, "And no additional security. Something doesn't smell right."

"I don't like it," grumbled Smokescreen as he glanced about.

"Me neither," Violetwind agreed. Silently she regretted having asked to come.

_Oh come on. Nothing's even happened yet. Stop being worried about nothing._

With only a small groan in response, the femme kept walking.

The group soon came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Um, which way, Sir?" The femme looked up at Ultra Magnus expectantly.

He glanced down at her briefly before turning his gaze to the others, pondering his decision. "Bulkhead, Smokescreen," he barked, "you will take the left. Wheeljack, Violetwind, you are with me."

The Bots nodded in acknowledgement and split off as instructed. Violetwind gave the other pair a worried glance whispering, "Be careful."

Continuing forward Ultra Magnus hoped he had done the right thing by splitting up the femme and the rookie. They somehow always ended up in trouble together and he only wished to prevent such a thing from reoccurring. Yet, Optimus had instructed him to be gentle with the pair. He reasoned within himself that it was because of their inexperience.

He did not have the chance to ponder it further as they came across a large cavern. Large tubes, twice as tall as Ultra Magnus, were filled with yellow liquid and ran down the centre of the room in two rows. Each of the tubes were connected to the others at the top, going down the row. The most extraordinary things about them, however, were their contents. Metallic beasts of all shapes and sizes floated within the yellow liquid.

Stepping forward Violetwind couldn't contain the fright quickening her spark. The giant creatures were like no normal beast on Earth. Some were like mythical creatures, some like griffins, some like rhinoceros beetles that had been hit with an enlarging beam or even some like large reptiles.

_Shockwave's lab..._ muttered Windy, her tone doing nothing to help the femme's unease

Wheeljack paused to stare at one of the beasts inside, "Well, this is one whole lotta ugly."

"Megatron's cloning operation seems further along than we anticipated," Ultra Magnus uttered with displeasure.

Staring up at one of the cloned Predacons, Violetwind felt a little ill. Just one Predacon was dangerous enough, but to have a small army of them... It was terrifying to even _think_ about.

_Shockwave... The slag filled vat of fragging slag. Tampering with nature again to fulfil his own twisted desires._

"And Megatron's," the femme added. "If he sends these out against us..."

_We'll be nothing but scrap metal._

At the other end of the row of tubes, the single opticked scientist turned from his computer console to notice the Autobot intruders the same instance they spotted him. Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack ducked behind the Predacon tubes, using them for cover as the fired upon the Decepticon. Not one to sit idly by as he was being attacked, Shockwave fired back.

A shot flew past Violetwind's helm causing her to let out a shriek. Jumping to the side, she hid behind a tube.

_Pull yourself together, Vi! We don't have time to freak out. Pay attention. I need you to throw a bomb at Shockwave. Think you can throw it that far?_

Peeking out, she judged the distance between herself and Shockwave, supposing it to be about two hundred metres, muttering nervously, "Mmm... I think so..."

Rolling the bomb around in her fingers, her door wings trembled as she considered the toss. Her main worry was that Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack were in front of her and if she did not throw it far enough they could get caught in the blast radius. She didn't want to immobilise her own team mates and be left to take on the Decepticon scientist alone.

_Throw it already!_ urged Windy.

Instead of throwing the bomb she jumped back from the large tube. The yellow liquid drained out the bottom and spilled onto the floor. Shockwave must have done something to cause it. Electricity sparked though the cables connecting them, stirring the beasts from their slumber.

Glancing back toward the Decepticon, the femme witnessed as he fired a few last shots at Ultra Magnus before disappearing into a ground bridge.

_Slag, this doesn't look good._

_Ya think? _

The three Autobots met in the aisle between the tubes. Their optics were filled with shock as the liquid flooded onto the floor; Violetwind's also wide in horror. Worse still was that some of the beasts were restless, screeching and banging against the glass, the noise unnerving the femme. With each crack they were closer to being free. And if they got free...

"Uh, guys..." she glanced over at the two mech's with worry.

Clenching his jaw Ultra Magnus took a fighting stance, ready to take on the Predacons when they emerged.

In contrast, Wheeljack did not seem to know what to think, glancing about with slight uncertainty, just trying to understand what was going on. Still he tried to offer the femme some comfort, "Don't worry, Vi. We'll make it out of this."

"Autobots, prepare for battle," ordered the commander.

The femme's door wings twitched in fear. If she had known that going out would lead to this, she would never have taken a single pede out of the hanger in the first place.

A nearby Predacon screeched hitting the glass tube causing a crack to appear. Any moment now it would break free and it, and the others like it, would surround them. As he glanced around for another way out, Wheeljack caught sight of glowing green energon crates stacked up at the back of the room. A smirk slipped onto his face as a plan fell into place. Unhooking the grenade from his waist, he tossed it in the air before catching it again. "Permission to employ a grenade in a confined space, Sir?"

Following the mech's gaze, Ultra Magnus nodded, "If we three are all that stands between these monsters and the natives of this planet; then by all means, blow these beasts back to the Rust Age."

Flipping the fuse on the explosive, he tossed it over to the crates, watching as it landed and rolled to rest beside them. Turning around he held out an arm to usher the femme along. "C'mon, we don't have time to sit around and greet these fellas."

Violetwind nodded, allowing herself to be hurried along.

The trio transformed, speeding out of the room. None of them was about to stick around to see the explosion for themselves.

The grenade's timer ticked down and in a flash it exploded, the noise rocking the caves. The Synthetic Energon caught alight adding to the fiery blast. The fire ball set off a chain reaction with the Predacons and the liquid they had been suspended in.

Engines revving as they fled the scene, the Autobots sped through the tunnels to get back to their team mates. However, their escape was brought to a halt as a ground bridge opened up in front of them. Transforming, they stood giving one another questioning glances. Each of them wondered the same thing; what was it doing there? They knew it could not be one of their own, no one had called.

They did not have long to ponder it. An unfamiliar mech, taller than Ultra Magnus, stepped out. His frame was dark with glowing yellow highlights.

"Who's this guy?" Wheeljack asked for them all.

The being responded with a deep resonating growl, "The very same who has previously allowed you to live, but will not today."

The commander's optics rested on the symbol marked on the mech's chest. "He's the Predacon."

"You didn't tell me they could transform!" Violetwind shrieked in panic.

"Don't look at me, I didn't know either," Wheeljack yelled back, not taking his optics off it.

By now the fireball from the explosion was spreading through the tunnels. The blast was headed their way, the noise alerting them to it's presence. The Bot's only had enough time to dive for cover as the explosion rolled through.

The Predacon was the only one who did not move.

The heat disappeared as quickly as it came and the Autobots picked themselves up. The femme glanced over at the Predacon to see a fury on his faceplates. He realised what the explosion meant and his anger took over. "What have you done to my brethren!?"

Violetwind could not contain the fear flowing through her circuits nor the violent trembling in her limbs as a result. He sounded ready to kill them and she rather wanted to avoid death.

_Slag. This can't be good._

Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack were much calmer than the femme. They had already fought the Predacon before, albeit he had fought as a beast and they had not won. But they were not about to let such a trivial matter stop them. They would fight with all they had. It was the Wrecker way.

The Predacon roared again. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

Without missing a beat, he charged towards the two mechs. They split off as the Predacon leapt into the air drawing his fist back. With an angry roar he slammed his hand into the ground as Violetwind scrambled off behind a rock in fear.

Turning to aim his blaster at the Predacon, Ultra Magnus was caught off guard as the beast struck his chest. He grunted as he was flung backward into a stalactite. Dust flung up around him as he crumpled to the ground.

Wheeljack was the next target and before he had the chance to respond, the beast was already picking him up by the shoulder. The mech only had time for an angry glare before he was thrown against the cave wall.

Peeling off the wall like paint, the mech hit the ground with a crash. Pain flashed through his circuits as he pushed himself off the floor to glare at the charging Predacon. "Well then, let's dance."

Slipping on a battle mask over this mouth, the white mech rolled out of the way just before the roaring Predacon slammed his fist into him. With practised ease he dodged each attack from the beast, waiting for the chance to retaliate.

Behind a rock, curled up into a ball, was Violetwind. Hugging her knees to her chest she softly whimpered to herself as her spark thundered like a herd of horses. Not only was the Predacon mech's size enough to instil fear into her spark, but the ferocity with which he attacked her team mates took away all sense of hope of beating him.

Hearing the harsh scraping of metal on metal, the femme uncurled herself and risked a peek over the top of the rock. Her gaze quickly landed on where Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack were taking on the beast.

_We have to slagging _do_ something!_

"But I can't use a bomb! They're too close. And I can't shoot either. My aim isn't good enough. I might _hit_ them." The urge to cry was overwhelming.

Windy mentally shook her, _Vi! We can't just sit here and do nothing!_

Slumping back down behind the rock, she lifted her hands to her audios, trying to block out the sounds of the battle, "I'm not built for this... I can't do this. Oh, why did I come? I should never have left the base. Why didn't I just stay with Ratchet?"

Her inner companion let out a deep groan of annoyance. Sometimes it felt like she had picked the worst possible person to share a body with. Doing her best to keep calm, she tried to speak with Violetwind again. _Listen, if you can pick up some of that courage I know you have, we can get in that battle and help them out. We outnumber the Predacon three to one. If we work together we should be able to handle ourselves. I promise I'll be with you the whole time and together we can do it. You just have to do as I tell you._

Venting heavily, Violetwind did her best to calm down. "Ok," her voice cracked but she tried again, "Ok. Courage."

_That's it,_ coached Windy, _You can do this. Hey, you took on Knock Out by yourself and before that you had the guts to walk into the Decepticon's base alone._

"Ok, I can do this..." Peaking over the rock she caught sight of the battle. Her optics widened and she froze.

Lying away from the battle was Ultra Magnus, having been knocked back and left dazed. This left Wheeljack to fight on his own and to say he was losing would be an understatement. Violetwind's spark leapt into her throat as she witnessed the beast hit him again and again. Punch after punch slammed against the mech's chest, Violetwind's door wings quivering with each strike.

Her chest tightened with fear. She had to do something. He would die out there unless the Predacon was stopped.

Then all of a sudden her fear vanished, like the flipping of a switch. Replacing it was an odd cold fury. She did not even have the time to comprehend the sudden change before she was leaping onto the rock she had been hiding behind. Optics narrowed she stared down the beast. "Hey. Predacon!"

His head shot up, surprised by the shout.

"Why don't you try taking on me? Unless you're a worthless piece of slag like those protoforms we just blew up!"

Letting loose a deep growl he left the white mech and started towards her. "You dare insult me? Predaking? And then you further insult my brethren after you destroyed them?! You will pay for your insolence, little AUTOBOT!"

"I'll believe that when I see it," she sneered. "And Predaking? Really? _That's_ your name? It's _so_ original."

This only served to infuriate him even more. Letting loose a roar he charged forward.

_Vi, jump._

Moving to within striking range he swung his claws at her but the femme leaped upward, flipping over him in a smooth arc. Landing in a crouch behind him, she smirked.

The Predacon grunted as he whirled around, ready to tear her apart. He stepped forward claws outstretched but without even turning to face him she dodged to the side. Once again his attack missed.

_Right, now let's get on the offensive._

"You got it."

Turning to face him she unsheathed her blades. Within seconds she closed the distance between them and slashed at his chest only to dart away and attack again from another angle at Windy's guidance. Each time he tried to grab her she was already gone and scratching at him in another place. However, it did little damage to his heavy armour, only serving to annoy the Predacon.

Violetwind kept him busy while her fellow Autobots recovered. Ultra Magnus was the first to recuperate. Sitting up he watched the small femme dart around attacking the beast. He was surprised by the ferocity she displayed, something he hadn't seen in her before. Getting up he charged forward, swinging his hammer at Predaking's face.

Soon after Wheeljack also picked himself up and joined in the fight with his own ninja kicks. Together the three of them were able to dominate the Predacon, too dazed from so many hits to be able to defend himself and fight back.

A particularly hard hit from Ultra Magnus sent the beast flying. Glancing upward, Wheeljack noticed a huge stalactite directly above the Predacon as he lay dazed from his beating. Transforming his servo the white mech stated to fire at the roof where the large chunk of rock was attached.

It didn't take long for Ultra Magnus and Violetwind to work out what he was planning and once they did, they took out their blasters to shoot the roof as well. Predaking started to stand up but just as he did so, the stalactite broke off and crashed down upon him.

With a smug grin the femme transformed her blasters back into hands as Wheeljack came over to her and the commander. "Guess we really got him that time."

However, she had spoken too soon. The massive rock shifted. Possessing an incredible strength, Predaking picked up the stalactite. He swung it around, the rock coming towards them. Three sets of blue optics widened as they tried to run but they were unable to escape. The trio were scooped up they the rock, hitting them away like they were baseballs and it was the bat.

Still using it as a weapon, the beast charged at Wheeljack. Catching the mech before he had recovered, the Predacon used the stalactite to ram him into the side of the cave. It hit the Wrecker with such a force that the rock itself crumbled around his unconscious body.

Groaning, Violetwind rolled over onto her back resting a hand over her stomach plates. She closed her optics letting her helm stop ringing from hitting the cave wall. Inside her helm, her mind also calmed. The uncontrollable fury died down as her thoughts became her own again.

A deep pained cry rang out and immediately her own discomfort was forgotten. Rolling over she was quickly on her knees staring over at Ultra Magnus with horror. Predaking was just lifting his pede from on top of the commander's hand. Mercilessly he slammed it back down earning an even more pained cry from the Autobot. Energon leaked from the stub, his hand completely crushed and fingers so broken they fell off.

Pulling his arm back, Ultra Magnus cradled it to his chest with his good arm and rolled onto his back.

"Ultra Magnus!" The femme cried out, scurrying to get to her pedes.

The mech just painfully groaned while Predaking walked away. Taking a few deep breaths into his vents, he rolled back over to glance at Wheeljack and Violetwind.

Waking, the Wrecker let out a groan as he looked back over at the mech. He knew things were not in their favour. With a weak grin he spoke, "And here I was, just beginning, to tolerate you."

With a slight grin, the commander replied, "It's been an honour serving beside you, soldiers."

"Noo!" Violetwind cried out in denial. This wasn't about to happen. Tears flowed from her optics as she dropped to her knees. Her confidence and fury were gone, leaving her in a state much like the one before joining the fight, only even more hopeless.

The beast picked up the powerless Forge of Solus Prime and came back to stand over the commander. Lifting it high he snapped the weapon in half, golden dust floating to the ground as the once magnificent artifact of the Primes was destroyed.

Dropping it in front of Ultra Magnus, Predaking lifted a clawed hand above his head, ready to strike him down. With a scowl he rumbled, "Prepare to Perish."

Weeping Violetwind turned her face away, burying her head in her hands. She could not bear to watch as the Predacon prepared to kill the mech.

Windy was silent, having no smart alack responses or sarcastic remarks. Even she was too distressed about everything that had happened. She simply shared in the confusion and sadness of her companion.

Just as Predaking was bringing his arm down for the final blow, he took a shoulder to the chest. The scraping noise alerted Violetwind that the execution had been diverted. The femme lifted her head towards the commotion, optics lighting up with hope. Where the beast had previously stood, was instead Optimus Prime.

Taking out his machine gun, Optimus started shooting up the rocks and stalactites around the Predacon on the other side of the cave. Each shot broke of another piece of rock. The rubble crashed down upon Predaking, trapping him underneath.

Having taken care of the beast for the moment, the Autobot leader went over to Ultra Magnus. Leaning over, he placed a hand on the commander, optics resting on the stub where the mech's hand should have been.

"I am fine. The others..." he croaked.

Optimus glanced over at where Wheeljack lay. "Do not worry. I will be collecting them also."

Standing up, he walked over to the Wrecker and proceeded dig him out of the rocks.

Picking herself up, Violetwind wearily walked over to Ultra Magnus. Reachign his side she knelt down to get a better look at his injury, her spark clenching in sympathy. Dropping her helm she whispered, "I'm sorry, Ultra Magnus..."

"You fought well out there. Once you got began..." He looked up at her with a slight smile.

A funny feeling lurked in the pit of her tanks not letting her accept the compliment. She remembered the fight, perhaps a bit too clearly. Yet, it did not sit right with her. The fury she felt during it... It frightened her.

The femme was not given more time to ponder it further as Optimus returned carrying Wheeljack under one arm. "Violetwind, I regret to ask this of you but-"

She held up a hand interrupting him, "It's fine I can drive outta here. These two need the help more than me."

A slight look of surprise shone from his optics before disappearing, replaced by care. "That is not what I intended to ask. I was to suggest you cling to my neck as I regrettably do not possess a spare hand to aid you."

"Oh... Well, um, I guess that could work too," she replied with embarrassment.

Collecting Ultra Magnus with his free arm, Optimus bent down so that the shorter femme could reach him. She moved forward hesitantly, not sure about being so close to the leader. With some nervousness, she stood on the tips of her pedes to wrap her arms around Optimus' neck. Her face plates flushed with heat as she curled her fingers tightly around her own arms.

"Are you ready?" She felt the mech's deep voice reverberate through his chest.

"Y-yes..."

Optimus hid a smile of amusement under his mask. He knew it was not the exit she had imagined but he had no desire to leave her behind. The Predacon would no doubt be waking soon and more infuriated than before. So, in order to know that she was safe, they would have to endure the closeness for a little while. It briefly made him wonder if she would be as nervous as she was if, instead of himself, it was another young mech.

Nevertheless he prepared his jets for take off. However, as he was about to do so, the beast burst from the rocks, sending debris flying around him. Optimus and Violetwind looked over at Predaking, the former taking it as their cue to leave.

Firing up his jets, he lifted off into the air and towards the cave's exit.

Seeing him leave and taking away those who murdered his brethren, Predaking called out, "What?! Noo!" Shoving away the remaining rubble, he gave chase.

Flying out of the cave, Optimus immediately commed base. "Ratchet, we require a ground bridge."

Leaving the cave behind them was the Predacon. Seeing them fly up, he ran out and leapt into the air to transform. With wings outstretched, he gave a strong beat to keep himself aloft and let out a screech. He was not about to let the Autobots escape.

Clinging onto Optimus' neck, hanging far above the ground, Violetwind vented heavily as she heard the beast screech again. Her carrier on the other hand, remained calm. Optimus waited patiently for their medic to come through, he always did.

The familiar noise of the ground bridge signalled its opening up ahead. The femme let out a breath as they entered the vortex, leaving Predaking behind.

Finding themselves within the base, the mech carefully landed as the other Autobots gathered around with concerned optics. Before Optimus had the chance to bend down and let her off more easily, Violetwind let go and dropped to the ground. She landed heavily, almost falling over in the process but with arms splayed for balance, managed to stay upright.

Steadying herself she looked up at the mech. "Thank you..."

He nodded and once she moved off he walked over to carefully deposit Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus where Ratchet had set up his medical bay.

The emergency vehicle immediately got to work on the unconscious commander's hand, or lack there of.

Violetwind stood back as everyone's attention was on Ultra Magnus and questioning what had become of his hand. Rubbing her arm she let her helm drop, overcome with exhaustion. All of a sudden a hand rested on her shoulder, causing the femme to jump back, flaring her door wings.

A light laugh came from the hand's owner. "It's ok, Vi. It's just me."

"Smokescreen, don't do that," she scolded, her door wings relaxing.

He gave a cheeky smile in return. "Just wanted to see how you were. What happened in there?"

Taking a deep intake of air, she recalled the events within the cave. "We found Shockwave's lab, where he was growing the Predacon clones. Then, Wheeljack blew it up. We were escaping and that dragon guy showed up only he wasn't a dragon. He was in a bot form. Predacons can transform, Smoke! Um, and well, then we had to fight him off. He was kinda mad about us blowing up the other Predacons..."

Smokescreen threw his head back and bellyached. "How come you guys got all the excitement?"

The femme gave a shudder, "Next time you take it then. I do _not_ like it."

"Oh, I didn't-"

She put up a hand to stop him. "Don't worry about it. I didn't come out as hurt as I could have. Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack got it worse than me. I just wish I could have done more to help..."

The mech looked at her with soft optics, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure your being there was enough."

Staring at her pedes, Violetwind frowned. "I don't know, Smoke... Something... Something was odd..."

Wrapping her arms around herself, the femme wandered over to where the others had collected near the medical bay. They stood around but left enough distance for Ratchet to not be crowded.

This left Smokescreen staring after her with some concern, not quiet sure what she was going on about.

By now Wheeljack was sitting up, resting against the raised area without a railing. He was leaking some energon but it was not too serious so he let Ratchet work on Ultra Magnus without protesting. He didn't like being fussed over anyway.

The medic was currently welding a band of metal onto the end of the commander's stub to stop the enegon from leaking. The mech had fallen unconscious during the trip back to base and was just waking. As Ratchet finished with the wound, he lifted it to get a better look at it. Where his fingers had once been there was now nothing but crushed metal. The loss of his hand slowly sunk in and he let out a sad groan.

Standing nearby, Optimus gazed over at him with a comfort. "Ratchet will take good care of you."

"Magnus fought like a wrecker," Wheeljack praised the mech, "Violet too."

The femme's face plates flushed in embarrassment. That was a fight she would much rather forget. The emotions that fuelled her actions frightened her. Not even Windy had an answer for them.

Attention was drawn back to Ultra Magnus as he spoke, "Optimus. When we spoke earlier... What could be greater than a army?"

Only too willing to share, Optimus replied softly, "A human concept, one I have learned since coming to Earth," he paused for a moment optics resting on the wounded mech before turning his head to gaze upon the other Autobots, "Family."

With smiles, everyone moved in, gathering closer around where Ultra Magnus lay. He stared back, curious about this 'family' yet also feeling more accepted in that moment than he had since arriving on this planet. He allowed a small smile to lift his mouth as he received this concept of family into his mind and perhaps his spark.

Looking about her, Violetwind smiled a little too. Optimus was right, they _were_ like a family. Everyone cared about everyone else. Even though she may have lost the ability to be with her own family, she was glad to be a part of this one.

_I'm family too right?_

_Of course silly. Very close family. _

_Good. _Windy gave off a pleasant feeling of happiness.

_Perhaps like the crazy Aunt._

_Hey! _

Beside her, Smokescreen gave her a playful nudge with his elbow. A cheeky look shone from his optics.

The femme grinned back, giving him a shove with her own elbow in return.

Windy chuckled, _Guess it's better than being the rowdy kids._

_Hey!_


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys! Another chapter for you. And also, guess what. Next week is Christmas! So Merry Christmas everyone! Or Happy Holidays I guess if don't celebrate it. Have fun over the time off guys! :D

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Chapter 10

In the time after their arrival back at the base, Violetwind had been kept herself busy. Ratchet used the time to teach her about medical matters as she aided him in fixing up Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack. She was a surprisingly quick learner in such things, finding it far more interesting than the Synthetic Energon and chemicals he had been teaching her. Though, Most of the time she still couldn't help but think of it more as mechanics than biology.

The next day Violetwind sat on the floor next to Ratchet's bench of odds and ends. She worked on another immobiliser bomb to add to her supply after using some on the vehicons yesterday.

Beside her Ratchet also had his hands full with a project. While the commander rested, the medic set about constructing a makeshift hand for him. He hoped the new appendage would help compensate for the loss of his hand in some way, though he was unsure of just how useful it would be.

The femme hummed as she tinkered with the small metal pieces. Jack had said the kids were going to bring back some movies with them when they returned from the time with their parents and she and Windy pondered what they might be.

_I hope we get an action movie. Something like _The Avengers_ would be great._

_Nah, I'm hoping for a romantic comedy. Maybe _The Proposal_ I have a feeling I've seen that before. _

_Yeah, yeah, you have,_ she muttered off handedly. _But really, an action movie would be better. Besides I really don't think the kids will bring back a rom com._

_Hmm, perhaps you're right. I may have to make a request... _

Finishing work on Ultra Magnus' new attachment Ratchet glanced down at the femme beside him. He was glad she seemed happier than before and not just because she was easier to work with. It eased his fears over her processor a little. He still wished he could give her a better check over but contented himself with merely keeping an optic on her.

"Violetwind," he stood, holding up the makeshift appendage, "it's time to attach Ultra Magnus' new hand."

Looking up from her task she briefly studied the object. It consisted of three 'fingers.' Two faced one direction while the third sat in the middle of the other two facing the opposite way in order to allow the mech to grab objects. Staring at it more closely she could see some parts that were sure to glow energon blue once attached to Ultra Magnus, though she was unsure of their purpose.

Nodding she got to her pedes, placing the unfinished bomb down carefully. "Ok, I'm ready."

Walking over to where Ultra Magnus lay, they found Optimus standing by the mech's berth. He had remained by the commander's side, willing to help his old friend through the recovery.

"We're ready to attach your new limb, Ultra Magnus. It should not take long but we shall put you in recharge, just to prevent any discomfort," Ratchet explained.

"Of course, Doctor," the mech replied, with a nod.

"We'll take good care of you, Sir," Violetwind added with a comforting smile. Though she was still inexperienced in Cybertronian medical matters, she had the utmost faith in Ratchet and his ability. She was mostly just there to observe, learn and help with the little things.

"And I will remain nearby as well," Optimus told the wounded mech.

"Violetwind, administer the sedative,"commanded Ratchet.

Grabbing the medication, the femme filled a syringe. Ratchet had taught her how to anaesthetise someone. Though she was still a little nervous and hoped she would not so something stupid during the procedure. The medic was watching her carefully to make sure she did it correctly, so she need not worry too much. He was there to take it from her if she did something wrong.

Taking a slow intake of air she lowered the point of the needle between the plating of Ultra Magnus' good arm and into his enegon fuel lines.

Immediately the mech began to feel the effects of the drug. He began to feel sleepy and his limbs lost their ability to function. He also felt the need to confess something. With unfocused optics he tried to look upon the femme. "Violetwind..." His speech was slow. "I... Wanted to... Apologise..."

"Sir, I don't th-" she protested slightly before he went on, not paying her words any attention.

"I... Was always... skeptical about, you... you and Smokescreen... Just both... So inexperienced... But this... This family that... Optimus speaks of... you... Being a native of this planet... You understand this... Much... Much better than I... Please... Forgive me... For thinking... You were merely... A liability... A rebellious youngling... With only your own... Your own interests... In mind... You have proved... That wrong... Your courage against the Predacon... And now your care... Forgive me... For... Misjudging you..." He trailed off, falling to recharge.

Not sure what to think, Violetwind looked over at Optimus and Ratchet for answers. She was shocked at Ultra Magnus' odd confession.

_What the slag? I always knew he was a bit off about us but this? That was unexpected..._

The leader's optics shone with a gentle smile. His commanding officer was learning and allowing his spark to accept the others as more than just fighting companions. Looking to the femme he explained, "Violetwind, Ultra Magnus is merely learning to accept that he may have been misguided in judging you for your incident with Smokescreen and the enegon crates."

"Oh... You know about that..."

He smiled, "Yes, but do not concern yourself over it. It is not of importance."

Ratchet had been a little shocked at Ultra Magnus as well. But after Optimus was finished he nodded and shook off the feeling. Knowing they had work to do he readied himself to begin he procedure. "We must hurry to attach Magnus' new limb before he wakes."

So without wasting another moment the medic got to work. As he went he directed Violetwind to aid him and talked her through what he was doing to teach her more about Cybertronian biology.

After almost two hours had gone by, Ratchet was just finishing the last weld. During this time, the children had arrived back at the hanger. They had been filled in on what had taken place and now stood watching the two bots attach Ultra Magnus' replacement appendage.

The rest of the team also stood around in anticipation, waiting for the operation to be completed. Smokescreen and Bumblebee conversed in low tones, while Bulkhead stood close to the railing where the humans watched. Arcee leant against the lower platform beside Wheeljack, sitting directly opposite of where they were working on Ultra Magnus.

Standing by for support, Optimus had remained close for the entire procedure. It was as much for their support as his own peace of mind. Seeing one of those under his command be injured in such a way always struck at his spark.

"He'll be waking soon," Violetwind muttered under her breath, keeping a optic on the patient's vital signs.

Luckily though, Ratchet had just finished. Turning to Optimus he kept his voice down. "I've done everything I can considering the limitations of my equipment and less than ideal spare parts." He glanced back at the commander's new 'hand' with uncertainty, "It remains uncertain if Ultra Magnus' new appendage will be fit for battle, though it should prove functional." He returned his gaze to Optimus, "After the requisite amount of therapy."

Relief found its way into the leader's optics. "That is all we can hope for, old friend."

With a nod to both Ratchet and Optimus, Violetwind left the sleeping mech to wake under their watch. After what he had said before falling unconscious, she did not want to be there when he awoke, whether he remembered it or not.

Arcee glanced at the mech beside her, neither having moved since the surgery began, "You doing ok?"

Lowered his hand from where he'd been rubbing his left elbow, Wheeljack looked sadly down at his fists as he clenched and unclenched them. "I'm still two fisted."

Resting a hand on him, the femme replied, "So's Magnus."

Turning around and allowing room for Violetwind to stand next to him and Bumblebee, Smokescreen grinned. "Wait and see. The claw's gonna become his signature move. You know," he gestured to the scout, "the way you own that voice box Ratchet slapped in your throat."

_'What?!'_ he beeped in surprise before his optics narrowed.

Violetwind elbowed the blue mech whispering, "Rude."

Trying to fix it, he moved closer and rattled on, "I mean, everyone understands you fine. Why would you even consider getting it fixed now?"

The purple femme inwardly groaned as Smokescreen dug a bigger hole for himself.

_He sure is a smooth talker,_ Windy chuckled.

Grumbling Bumblebee turned away from the mech, _'Just shut it.'_ He raised the back of his fist to the rookie's surprised face. With a huff like whirr he stalked off past Bulkhead, _'Voicebox, huh? 'Everyone understands you just fine! Don't bother getting it fixed?! I'd rather have my own voice!' _

Smokescreen's gaze lowered in guilt, leaving the annoyed mech to walk off without protest. He did not dare try to stay anything else, he had already done enough.

"Woah," Miko stared after the scout, "what'd he say?"

Omitting his annoyed repeating of Smokescreen's words, Rafael translated, "Bee's kinda still attached to the sound of his own voice. His original one."

Putting on a smile, Bulkhead tried to lighten the heavy air that had fallen, "Hey, look on the bright side. Commander Magnus, Jacky and Violet single-handedly put the kibosh on Project Predacon!"

Walking up from behind, Smokescreen and Violetwind, Optimus joined them, "Though, at least one beast that we know of remains. The one who has demonstrated the ability to transform..."

"Predaking..." The purple femme breathed.

"Indeed."

~oOo~

Soon after his operation had ended Ultra Magnus woke. He was implored by Ratchet to continue to rest and not try to use his new appendage for a while. Therapy was to begin the next day, once his circuits had adjusted to the new connections.

The night passed and before long the morning was upon Team Prime. Optimus sent out Arcee and Bumblebee on patrol at first light. Although the Decepticons were unlikely to be scavenging for more Predacon bones, they still needed to be vigilant.

Not only that but any energon they could find would be of great value. The carts they had claimed from their enemies would not last forever and Ratchet had already gone back to working on the formula for Synthetic Energon.

This left Violetwind to help Ultra Magnus to use his new hand, the femme coaching him and lending him encouragement along the way. "That's it Ultra Magnus, Sir. Just take it slow and focus on wanting your hand to close."

The mech struggled to get his new appendage to respond. His limb shook as he willed his servos to close only for them to move a fraction of a centimetre. He let out a huff, dropping his arm to the berth, muttering in discouragement, "This is not going smoothly."

Standing beside him, Violetwind looked at the commander with compassion. He was really struggling, physically and emotionally. The femme knew he was suffering from the loss of his pride. Being stripped of the being able to simply just close one's hand would hurt anyone but it also had the secondary effect of taking the commander out of the battle. This, more than anything, was what Violetwind felt he was finding hardest to deal with.

With a gentle smile she spoke, "We've only just begun, Sir. You can't give up. Ratchet said that you have to keep exercising it. It's the only way you'll get it to work."

He glanced over at her, silent for a moment before replying, "I am unsure this will ever function."

A loud yell drew their attention towards Miko and Bulkhead. The pair were watching some footage of a monster truck rally they went to last year. Having recently found the file in her internet storage, Miko had insisted upon putting it on. So the two of them loudly watched what Ratchet referred to as 'blood sport,' cheering about the more spectacular crashes.

Returning her focus back to the mech, she just looked at him as he gazed towards the girl and mech watching the rally. Her spark stirred as she realised he was still learning to understand the concept of family.

_You just gonna stand there and stare at him then, or are you gonna do something? Wouldn't want anyone thinking you had a crush on him now, would we?_ Windy teased.

A small flush of heat flowed over her faceplates, in embarrassment as she quickly dropped her optics to her pedes. _How could you suggest such a thing?!_

Windy chuckled, _Because you're so easy to mess with. Besides, I'm pretty sure you actually have feelings for someone else..._

_Windy, what are you talking about? Feelings for someone? _

Her inner companion just laughed some more.

With a small huff she shook her head. _Well, glad you're having fun..._

Shaking her head she cleared her vocalisers to gain her patient's attention once again. "Sir, please keep trying. It might seem tough now but you're a strong willed mech. You can do this. You wouldn't be here now if you weren't."

With a silent nod, Ultra Magnus went back to putting his effort into making his hand move.

Nearby Agent Fowler stalked out of his office after having received a phone call. "Prime!" he yelled, "We have trouble brewing."

Optimus walked over to stand by the walkway.

The man continued, "The Cons staged a smash and grab at the Los Alamos nuclear plant late last night ans made off with twenty tons of control rods."

The Autobot leader frowned. It never meant anything good when their enemies went about stealing from the humans. His tone sombre, the mech asked, "What are the Decepticons looking to build?"

Inclining her head in curiosity, Violetwind also wondered what they were doing.

_What would they need with so much power?_

_I don't know, but I'm sure nothing good can come from it..._

~oOo~

Later that day Violetwind was excitedly standing beside the platform where Rafael sat with his laptop.

"What's it say? What's it say?" she asked the boy, dancing lightly on her pedes.

The femme had received another email from her parents and was anxious to find out their reply.

With a smile, Raf opened it up, spinning the computer around so she could see the screen. Quickly she scanned the message, soaking up the news from her folks.

"So how're your parents doing," Jack walked up, looking between the pair.

Violetwind grinned, "They're doing fine. They've taken care of all my old stuff for me. I guess it's not like I'll ever need it again really. But they've got it now and it's better than letting it be sold off for not paying the rent."

"Have you told them about us?"

"Well, I've only really said I've been making friends among my work colleagues... Maybe I _should_ tell them about three awesome kids that help out..." she pretended to ponder it.

"We _are_ pretty awesome!" Miko jumped in and wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulder, startling the boy.

Chuckling the femme nodded, "I'm sure it couldn't hurt to mention you guys."

"Hey, don't forget to tell them how helpful I was with the Apex Armor!"

"Miko, she can't mention the armour. No details remember," Jack chided her, earning him a frowns from the girl.

"Jack's right," Raf added, "Agent Fowler doesn't want anything getting out."

Pouting, Miko grumbled, "Fine. Just make sure you don't give them the wrong impression of me."

"Of course not, Miko. I'd never dare do such a thing," the femme replied innocently.

Feeling her inner companion cheekily grinned, Windy whispered, _I would..._

A little later Violetwind and Rafael had an appropriate message typed up to be approved by Agent Fowler before being sent to her parents. Just to check it one last time, the femme reread the email.

_Dear Mum and Dad, glad you were able to get my stuff together. The money from the furniture you sell is yours to keep. I don't need it where I am, no shops and all and besides we have all we need.  
I've been meaning to tell you about three kids that have been helping us out, two boys and a girl. I say kids but they're really in their teens. They've been really brilliant, brave and eager to help out where they can. Perhaps at times the girl can be a bit reckless but she's more courageous than a lot of people would be given the same situations. I admire her for that not being the bravest person myself. The older boy cares greatly for his younger cohorts. I know he'd do anything for them. I think he'll grow up to be a great leader one day. The youngest of the trio is a tech wiz. He's the one helping me get my emails out to you. I don't know what we would do without his knowledge. _

The femme grinned as she recalled Rafael's face as she told him to write that. He had looked adorable as he blushed at the complement. She continued to read the rest of the email.

_I have some more news of a more tragic nature. One of the group's leader's lost his hand recently. It was crushed by a beast. He should recover just fine but it reminds us that our work is dangerous and to be vigilant as we go about it. Please don't take this as a message to worry about me though. I don't usually go about interacting with the more dangerous animals and I have some good people around me to help keep me safe.  
Hope to hear from you again soon.  
Love you guys. Victoria. _

"It's fine. Thanks, Raf," she told the boy, "You can send it to Agent Fowler now. Hopefully it won't be long before he checks it once he returns from wherever it was he went."

"Sure thing," the boy replied before his stomach made a small rumble, "I wish he'd bring back a pizza..."

Violetwind smiled, "Shame they don't deliver to military bases. Guess I'd better leave you to get a snack then."

Slipping off the chair, Rafael grinned, "I think I'll head over to the mess hall and see what they've go to eat. See you later, Violet."

"Bye, Raf," she waved as the boy trotted off.

Turning around, the femme began to wonder if there was anything decent on TV when a call came through the base's comm link.

::Prime!:: Agent Fowler's voice called out. ::It's Cons again. In progress this time.::

_Slagging Cons. Can't they just leave things alone for once._

The Bots gathered, ready to leave, Ratchet standing by the ground bridge controls.

"Coordinates received, Agent Fowler," the medic returned, opening the ground bridge.

Walking forward Ultra Magnus was ready to go. Without glancing at the others he yelled, "Let's roll!"

Ratchet put out a hand to stop the taller mech. "Ip ip. Your ability to roll remains predicated upon further exploration of your manual dexterity."

The medic placed his hands on his hips as Ultra Magnus lifted his claw to look upon it. He struggled to close the appendage even a little, the determination fading from his optics to be replaced by sadness.

Optimus gazed upon the commander with sympathy. He felt for the mech but Ratchet had a point, he was not battle ready. "I'm afraid that Ratchet's authority supersedes my own in medical matters."

With a solemn sigh, he dropped his head. "Understood."

Walking towards the ground bridge, Optimus left him, though not alone. Wheeljack watched Ultra Magnus, his optics shining with rare compassion for the mech. The incident in the cave with the Predacon had allowed him to earn respect in the Wrecker's optics. Slowly he trailed after the others hoping that he would be able to do something for the mech in the future.

The ground bridge closed and Ultra Magnus walked off, a pair of optics following his movements. In her spark, Violetwind knew she had to help him. He was struggling not just physically but emotionally. Optimus had been right when he had called Team Prime a family and she knew that Ultra Magnus had the right to feel like a part of it too.

Finally she decided to stop standing there and do something, moving over to his side. "Ultra Magnus, Sir? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Glancing over at her in surprise, it took him a moment to answer. "No. I am fine. But thank you, Violetwind, for the offer."

"Are you sure, Sir? I don't mind helping talk you through working with your knew hand." she replied, door wings perked in expectation.

Her offer was warm, full of care and compassion. It was unlike the treatment he was used to receiving or even showing. This femme always seemed to amaze him, whether she was getting into trouble or showing kindness to her fellow Bots or humans.

"If you're really willing to help, then perhaps I shall accept," he replied, his tone soft.

Smiling up at him she immediately started to coach him again. As she lent him aid, the femme could see that he was learning more about the concept of family and perhaps gaining an greater understanding of just how they were more powerful than an army like Optimus had told him.

This went on for a while before they were interrupted by a call from Optimus. All attention turned towards the main console as the Prime's voice came through.

**::**Ratchet, reopen the ground bridge but ensure that the humans are kept at a safe distance. For we will be returning with a Decepticon prisoner.**::**

* * *

I bet you can all guess who that prisoner is. :P  
(If you can't, shame on you. Go back and watch all of Transformers Prime again. Or just watch S3 E10 _Minus One_.)


	11. Chapter 11

This one ended up being a little late today (nearly 1AM for me^^). But what can I say, it was the week of Christmas, and I hope you all had a good one! So from me, have a chapter!

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Chapter 11

Returning from the mission, the Bots dragged in an unconscious Soundwave. They immediately anchored him to the same berth which had served as Ultra Magnus' operation table. Once he was secure, they stood around as the silent mech awoke, ready to begin their interrogation of the Decepticon second in command.

Struggling in his restraints, Soundwave glanced down at the thick blue bands holding him to the berth. The noise of him testing his bonds brought everyone's attention to the Con.

In a tactic to demotivate the mech, Ratchet spoke, though not directly to Soundwave, "Because we had the foresight to shield our new base, our captive will be unable to transmit his coordinates to the Decepticon warship."

"Nor will they, in turn, be able to pinpoint his location," Optimus added.

Wheeljack hit his open hand with a fist as he stepped closer, "Guess we have all time in the world to make Mr. Personality tell us everything he knows."

Standing by the walkway on the far side of the hanger, Violetwind glanced down at the four humans. Agent Fowler, Jack, Miko and Rafael watched the scene with interest. They would be pleased with any information the Decepticon could provide.

"The Con's surveillance chief must know a lot, right?" Jack commented, not taking his eyes off the mech.

Miko tilted her head, "But Soundwave doesn't speak, does he?"

"I'm not even sure he has a face..." muttered Raf.

_Oh, he does. He used to speak too, but he chooses not to. Some scrap about a vow of silence. Not that he ever said much before anyway._

"Why would he hide his face under a visor?" Violetwind wondered out loud, earning glances from the humans.

_My guess would be to hide his emotions. _

"What's that Vi?" the teenaged girl asked her.

"Oh," she turned to face the group atop the walkway, "Windy's just saying that Soundwave does have a face. And he used to speak too."

"I suppose his visor is very useful," the younger boy looked back over the captured mech.

"I wanna see what he looks like without it now," Miko leaned over the railing, her nose scrunched up as she tried to imagine Soundwave's face underneath the visor.

Jack reached out a hand to pull Miko back while he asked, "Do you think he'll talk then?"

Glancing back over at the Decepticon herself, Violetwind looked doubtful, "I don't know..."

"I know I'd be happier if we could get something out of that Con," Agent Fowler growled.

They became quiet as Optimus began to interrogate Soundwave, not wanting to miss a moment of it.

"Why is Megatron stealing human technology?" The Prime leaned closer to their prisoner, "What is he attempting to build?"

Soundwave played back a remixed version of Optimus' own voice, "Wh- wh- why is Megatron stealing human te- technology? Wh- what is he attempting to build, to- to build?"

Moving back, surprise shone from Optimus' optics. Around him the same look was mirrored in the other bot's faces.

"Whoa, Optimus Prime, the remix," Miko muttered.

A smiley face appeared on the Con's visor, though the action did not amuse the Autobot leader.

Transforming his hand into a wreaking ball, Bulkhead glared at the mech, "Oh yeah? Well why don't I wipe that smile right off his face?"

The rest of the Bots shared his grim look at their cocky captive.

Optimus tried again, "Soundwave, we have treated you fairly. For the sake of the natives of this planet, tell us what Megatron is attempting to build, before we are forced to rely upon less civil methods of interrogation."

The mech did not answer. Instead he sent out a horrible noise, disorientating human and Bot alike. Everyone in the room cried out in pain, grasping at the sides of their heads. After a few seconds the noise died down and Team Prime slowly recovered.

Angered by the attack, Ratchet jumped forward, "Scrap this! Soundwave is no ordinary Cybertronian, inside or out. So I would strongly suggest opening him up so we can have a first hand look at the information recorded on his drives."

Violetwind rushed forward, grabbing onto the medic's arm, "Ratchet, you can't."

"And why not?" he snapped.

Looking away from his harsh gaze she tried to think of a way to put her feelings into words. Forcefully delving into another's memories did not, in any way, feel like the ethical thing to do. To infiltrate someone's mind without their consent... "Because..." Her voice cracked, "Because... It- it wouldn't be right..."

_We should know..._ Windy muttered, after all in a way, she had done that to Violetwind, even if it had been with the best intentions.

"Please don't do it Ratchet..." she pleaded, turning her frightened optics up to his.

He let loose a sigh, allowing his gaze soften. He understood what she was getting at. Yet before he could reply, a noise from their captive caused all attention to turn towards him. Cybertronian script flashed across the mech's visor.

"Uh, oh," Arcee mumbled.

Bulkhead on the other hand grinned, "All right, he's downloading data."

Taking a closer look, Ratchet's optics widened as he corrected the Wrecker, "No. Soundwave is _erasing_ data."

Then the most surprising thing of all happened. Soundwave spoke and with his real voice no less. "Soundwave superior. Autobots inferior."

The Bots could only stare at him as his visor darkened and he went limp. For all intensive purposes he looked dead, Bulkhead the first to voice such concerns. "Is he...?"

Scanning the Decepticon, Ratchet shook his head. "His vital signs remain functional. It seems he has simply severed all communications by, crashing his own drives..."

"What..." the femme glanced between the medic and Soundwave.

"Means he shut himself down, little spark," Wheeljack explained.

Arcee grumbled, "Looks like we won't be getting much out of him now..."

The group dispersed with nothing more to ask of the Decepticon now. Violetwind found herself on the other side of the hanger, glancing warily in the mech's direction. He was not even awake and she still felt uncomfortable. Just Soundwave's presence in their base sent her nerves over the edge, let alone his creepy shutting down trick.

"You alright?" A voice came from beside her, earning a small jump from the femme, her door wings flaring with fright.

"Smoke, why do you always have to do that!" she scolded, hand over her spark.

Grinning he shrugged, "I dunno. Why do you always jump like that when I do?"

Letting out a quiet sigh the femme looked away and wrapped her arms around herself, causing his grin to fade.

"Whoa, hey, I was just teasing."

"I know. It's not that," she cast a glance towards the Decepticon captive. "It's just that I don't feel too comfortable having Soundwave here..."

"That old piece of scrap? He isn't gonna hurt ya. The whole team's here in any-case. You've got nothing to worry about," Smokescreen waved a hand dismissively towards the mech.

_He's right. That slagger isn't going anywhere any time soon tied to the berth like that. So don't worry so much about it._

_I don't care. Decepticons still make me nervous..._

When she did not reply he tried a different tactic. "Hey, Jack was teaching me to play a human game called checkers, you want to give it a go?"

_Oh, you used to know this game. Let's do it. Two against one. We can totally thrash his aft,_ Windy eagerly piped up, open to distracting the femme.

_More like you two against me right now,_ a small smile lifted her face. Turing back to the mech she nodded, "Alright then, let's give it a go."

It wasn't long before they had a mat out with rough black and white squares draw on it. For the pieces they had an odd assortment of objects ranging from speakers to computer screens to some of Ratchet's tools.

"Alright you can play as Ratch's tools while I use the junk," Smokescreen told her as he set up the 'pieces' in the correct squares. He went on to quickly explain the rules, "The aim is to either capture all your opponent's pieces or set it up so they can't make a move. The pieces can only move diagonally and can only move forward. If your piece makes it to the other side it gets to be 'kinged' and it can then move backwards and forwards. And you capture pieces by jumping over them. Like this," moving a drill diagonally over a speaker he 'jumped' the piece, "Get it?"

Violetwind nodded, keeping her optics on the game. "Yep, I think I do."

The mech grinned, replacing the tool to her side of the mat, "Alright then. Let's get started."

With everyone else interested in keeping an optic on the Decepticon, the pair were left alone to play their game in peace. After twenty minutes of play Violetwind plucked up the last of Smokescreen's pieces.

"I win!" she declared, raising his final piece in triumph.

The mech's door wings slumped in his disappointment. "Aww, scrap." He suddenly glanced up at her with a sly grin, optics narrowed. "You had help didn't you?"

"Well, uh..." The femme looked away.

_Slag right I helped, punk! And we won!_

"I knew it! You little cheater! Windy was helping you out!" He accused good naturedly.

"Maybe just a little bit. But only cause I used to play this when I was human. I probably could have won anyway if I'd had my old memories."

He smirked, "Whatever you say. But let's give it a go without help from your inner femme this time. Got that, Windy?"

_Yeah right. He can't stop me._ Her companion responded rebelliously.

"And to make sure she doesn't, Vi, open a comm link. That way I'll know if she's cheating."

_Slag, why did he have to remember that?_ she huffed.

The femme smiled, _Just keeping it honest, Windy._

Connecting with Smokescreen via the comm link, Violetwind nodded towards the mat they were using for a board. "Shall we set it up again then?"

"Yep, round two it is," he grinned reaching over for his pieces.

**::**So I'm just supposed to sit here?**::**

"Isn't that what you usually do?" joked the mech.

"You wouldn't believe what she likes to say knowing you can't hear her," chuckled Violetwind as she set up her own pieces.

**::**Shut up you. Don't make me blab all your secrets.**::**

"You wouldn't dare," hissed the femme, pausing in her task to replace the objects to their starting squares.

**::**Try me,**::** Windy replied, the pair practically able to hear her smug smile.

Placing down his final piece, Smokescreen laughed at the pair. "Let's just get this game going first. You two can fight about it then."

"Alright," she stared at their game for a moment before picking up a piece on the right and moving it forward. "Your turn."

Their game went on and before long it was over again only this time Smokescreen was the winner.

"Yes!" he cheered. "See much more fair when it's not two against one."

Violetwind rolled her optics as she started to replace the pieces again. "How about best two out of three?"

"You're on," he gladly accepted the challenge and got back to setting up his side of the 'board.'

Eventually evening settled over the base and the human children drifted off to sleep. Having been with Rafael up until then, Bumblebee left to allow the boy to rest. Seeing Smokescreen and Violetwind busy with something he wandered over.

Looking up, the rookie caught sight of him coming over. Still feeling a little bad for having offended Bumblebee earlier, he glanced at the floor.

Hearing him come towards them, Violetwind turned to greet the mech, "Hiya, Bee. Wanna join us?"

_'Hi, guys. Sure, what are you doing?'_ He looked over the mat and the assortment of items sitting on it, not sure what it was supposed to be.

"We're playing an Earth game called checkers," Smokescreen explained. He got to his pedes, offering the place where he sat, "Here, you can have a go against Vi."

Accepting the offer he sat down, the blue mech taking a seat perpendicular to them. Bumblebee's optics shone with a smile. _'And don't worry about anything.'_

Grinning back, Smokescreen felt the weight of guilt fade away. He lightly thumped the mech on the arm in a thanks.

Glad they were getting along again with no ill feelings, Violetwind got on with briefly explaining the rules of the game.

Once she was done, Windy eagerly piped up, **::**Alright let's get this game started.**::**

_'Windy?' _The scout whirred in confusion.

"Yeah, Smoke didn't want me cheating and getting help from her," Violetwind said moving her first piece.

**::**I think he just didn't want to be beaten by femme power,**::** Windy retorted, earning a chorus laugher.

The three Bots took it in turns to verse one another, losing count of who had won the most. Such a thing did not matter to them. All they cared about was having fun. Eventually though they wound down the checkers matches to sit around and chat. Even Windy happily participated in this, pleased to have the ability to talk with someone other than Violetwind.

Slowly this too slowed as they drifted into recharge. Smokescreen and Bumblebee sat against the back wall, heads slumped against one another like brothers. On the floor, Violetwind lay on her side, head resting on the blue mech's leg.

Over to the side Arcee stood with Wheeljack. She shrugged over in the direction of the trio, with some disapproval, "Our young Bots."

The mech grinned, "C'mon, give 'em some slack. They needed a bit of fun. Even Magnus didn't bother them today."

Rolling her optics the femme smirked, "Perhaps." She let out a short chuckle, "Recharging like that though. They're gonna feel that in the morning."

~oOo~

Bumblebee was the first to wake the next morning. Letting out a small chirp in place of a yawn, he stretched his arms, loosening the tightness in his shoulders at having recharged sitting against the wall. Glancing to the side he trilled quietly in amusement at the pair sleeping beside him. _'Aren't they cute?' _

"What'd ya think they'd do if I made a loud noise?" Bulkhead whispered to Bee moving to his side.

_'Don't,'_ warned the mech, _'they're so peaceful.' _

"C'mon, don't tell me you don't want to do something," he coaxed.

_'Well...'_ Bumblebee looked over at them, a playful light in his optics.

Before either mech got the chance to do anything, Violetwind stirred from her rest. Blinking open her optics it took a moment for her to realise where she was as she sat up. Spying Bumblebee and Bulkhead she smiled, "Good morning to you two."

Her voice woke the last of the trio. Smokescreen glanced about a confused look on his faceplates as the Bots stared at him. "What? Is there something wrong?"

_'No,'_ whirred the scout innocently.

"Nothing at all," continued the Wrecker.

Violetwind shared a disbelieving look with Smokescreen. The femme muttered, "Somehow I'm not so sure."

_'He was the wanted to startle you awake,'_ Bumblebee pointed at the larger mech.

"Hey!" Bulkhead sent him a glare.

With a giggle, Violetwind got to her pedes, stretching out the kinks in her limbs. "That's enough you two. We're awake now so it doesn't matter."

The two young Bots also stood, stretching their arms and door wings from the night on the floor.

Smokescreen turned to Bulkhead, "Anything happen with Soundwave?"

The mech shook his head. "Nope, still as dead to the world as before. Agent Fowler left though. Something about a meeting with the General."

The femme smiled. "Unless the Cons try something else, I guess we've got the day to ourselves then. Anyone else up for another round of checkers?"

~oOo~

The day went by quickly as they entertained themselves with the simple board game. Arcee and Wheeljack even joined them, the femme proving to be very good.

Somewhere along the way they switched to learning chess with the help of Windy. Wheeljack was a surprising strategist, earning the respect of the group. The best player, however, proved to be Ultra Magnus. Violetwind had convinced him to give the game a go and he took to it like a fish to water.

The purple femme's door wings twitched with anticipation as they stood huddled around the game between Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack. Their game had been going for a hour and was reaching a pinnacle.

"Ha," scoffed Wheeljack as he moved his rook, which happened to be a broken speaker, to capture his opponents queen, a pair of Bot sized tweezers.

"Do not be so quick to judge," countered the commander. Lifting his claw he picked up his bishop, a hammer. Placing it down he grinned, "I believe that is checkmate."

The Wrecker stared at the checkered mat in disbelief, trying to figure out where he went wrong. Throwing his head back he groaned.

Bulkhead gave his friend a pat on the back. "He got ya that time, Jacky."

With a grin Ultra Magnus started to replace the pieces to their rightful positions. "You must be mindful of reckless charges."

Interrupting them was an incoming call from Agent Fowler.

**::**I'm on my way to the base,**::** he reported, **::**but I just got word the Cons busted into the Solaris particle collider project at the South Pole.**::**

Immediately Optimus rallied his team, "Autobots!"

Everyone moved to stand by their leader, Ultra Magnus at the forefront, clenching his claw as he stepped forward.

Seeing this Ratchet's optics widened, "What?" He put out a hand to stop the mech, "Ip, ip."

"Doc," walking forward Wheeljack gave the medic a reassuring grin, "Commander's ready."

He glanced between them, before shaking his head, wondering when his medical opinion mounted to so little. Walking off to the ground bridge he muttered, "Fine, fine."

The commander, however, was estatic. He had wanted nothing more than to rejoin the others in the field. To be back doing what he did best.

Optimus gained everyone's attention again as he assigned orders, "Bulkhead, Smokescreen and Violetwind, remain here with Ratchet to guard our prisoner. Everyone else, transform and roll out!"

The medic then opened the ground bridge. Those heading out, ran towards it and transformed before leaving through the bridge, the vortex vanishing as the last Bot entered it.

The base was quiet and the remaining Bots turned to glance back at their still unconscious prisoner. With the others gone, Violetwind felt her nerves rising again.

"Can't we throw a tarp over him?" Bulkhead suggested. "He's creeping me out."

"How long ya been hiding that thought, Bulk?" Violetwind tried to tease, her voice more reserved than she would have liked.

"Ever since we brought him in," the mech smiled also trying to keep the mood light.

"It's like he's watching, no matter where you go," Smokescreen moved about staring at the unconscious Soundwave.

Walking up behind them, Ratchet frowned. "Would you stop focusing on what Soundwave can and cannot _see_ and help me figure out what he did not_ tell_. Like why Megatron would be interested in something believed to generate enough power to create a black hole..."

"Black holes?" muttered Smokescreen.

"What would he do with that?" Violetwind questioned, her optic ridges pinched with worry.

The blue mech was a little confused but made his suggestion anyway, "So, Megatron's looking to swallow up the known universe?"

"And everything in it," the Wrecker followed his line of thinking.

"No, no. He would merely want to harness the _power_ of something capable of swallowing worlds, in order to... create one..." realisation shone from Ratchet's optics.

The femme titled her head, not catching on. However, Windy supplied her with the answer. _The Omega Lock._

"The Omega Lock?" she repeated in surprise. "But how?"

_Yeah. Decepticons are pretty good at figuring out how to get what they want. I wouldn't put it past them to have replicated it from the remains of the original._

Glancing up she caught a concerned look from Smokescreen. He knew how attached she was to Earth and just how much of a threat a new Omega Lock would pose. Reaching out a hand he rested it on her shoulder and gave her a comforting smile, muttering softly, "It'll be ok."

She smiled and nodded in thanks before they followed Ratchet over to the main computer console. Tapping a few keys, he opened a comm link with their leader.

"Optimus, I know this hardly seems the time but it may aid you in your task."

**::**Go ahead,**::** came the Prime's calm reply.

"I believe that Megatron may be attempting to rebuild the Omega Lock," he paused for a moment to let the news sink in. "Do we let him?"

**::**No. For you know as well as I that Megatron will use a reconstructed Lock to cyberform both Cybertron, and Earth. And that is one abuse of power that we cannot allow.**::**

The medic let out an emotional sigh. "Understood."

He clicked off the comm link but remained at the console, leaning upon it.

Violetwind could understand a little of what he was going through, what all the Bots were going through. The Omega Lock had the ability to restore their home, and was likely their only hope of returning. To have to destroy it again...

Stepping over she gently touched his arm. "Ratchet..."

Doing his best to help ease the pain, Smokescreen spoke up too, "Ratchet, it may not be with the forge or the Omega Lock but we're gonna find a way to get our planet repaired."

The medic turned to the younger Bots, his optics looked no less hopeless but the hurt in his spark was softened. The faintest of grins showed his gratefulness.

"And I'll be right there when it happens," Violetwind offered a warm smile.

A noise to the side alerted them to Agent Fowler's return. The man walked in reading over some files in his hands. He paid little attention to the Bots as he made his way towards his office so nobody bothered with a hello.

All of a sudden there was a crash of breaking glass. The disturbance startled the four bots and the human, drawing their eyes and optics to the noise. A feeling of dread rose up in them all. Flying through the window came none other than Laserbeak, Soundwave's minicon.

"Oh no," muttered Ratchet.

_Slag._

Laserbeak immediately began shooting at the Bots as she made a dive towards them. Ducking to the left and right, they avoided being hit. Flying over to her unconscious master, Laserbeak fired at his restraints and successfully released his bonds.

Sitting up Smokescreen transformed his servo and took aim at the flying intruder. As she weaved around the rafters the mech fired a few shots, one hitting the minicon and damaging her.

Not about to let Smokescreen get away with that unpunished, Laserbeak swooped down, knocking into him, causing the mech to fall backward. Though dazed, he was otherwise unharmed.

_Don't just lie there, do something!_

Getting back onto her pedes, Violetwind narrowed her optics in a cold glare at the bird like Decepticon. A confidence and uncontrollable anger filled her up much like the time in the cave. Transforming her hand she joined in with Bulkhead to shoot the intruder.

Unfortunately the shots all missed and Laserbeak flew back to her master, reattaching herself to his chest. Connected to the mech again she uploaded information and within moments he was awake.

Seeing that their prisoner was free and awake, Bulkhead transformed his hand into a wrecking ball and raced forward. He wasn't about to let their prisoner escape without a fight. However, back online, Soundwave was a formidable force; delivering a kick to his chest sending the heavier mech back.

Not yet having moved, the femme released her swords, holding them up ready to join in the close combat fight. Jumping forward she aimed a slice at his arm, but before she could bring it down, he hit her chest and sent her into a wall.

Smokescreen leapt up to kick the mech but he released his tentacles, one snaking up to grab the blue Bot's chest. The lanky surveillance officer slammed him into one of the platforms, before sending a shock of electricity through the mech's body. It shut down his systems, leaving him unconscious.

"Smokescreen!" Violetwind cried out in alarm. Turning her gaze back to the Decepticon, her optics narrowed. Getting up again she headed in for another attack.

But, before she could reach him, Soundwave had repeated his 'electric therapy' on Bulkhead and was headed for Ratchet.

Agent Fowler even tried to help, grabbing a fire extinguisher and yelling out as he charged forward 'weapon' raised. Yet he was nothing more than a slight disturbance to the mech, easily brushed aside with a single tentacle. The man was knocked into a crate, hitting it hard enough to be knocked unconscious.

The medic backed away from the frightful Decepticon till his back hit the wall and he could go no further. Terror shone from his optics only to be eerily reflected in Soundwave's visor, increasing his unease.

"Ratchet!" The femme yelled as Soundwave knocked out the medic leaving her the only conscious Autobot. Standing her ground she glared at the Con, blades at her sides.

Slowly he turned to look at her, his stance relaxed, not threatened by the small female's presence.

_Watch out for those tentacles. Keep low and hit him hard,_ instructed Windy.

With a firm nod, Violetwind dashed forward. One of the mech's tentacles darted at her but she dodged its grab. Instead she swiped her blade across his arm. She kept moving and came to stand between Soundwave and Ratchet.

The Deception calmly turned his head to inspect the wound leaking bright blue energon. For a moment she wondered if he was going to stare at it all day. He was not. Without warning his tentacles flew towards her. She let out a small cry of surprise, dodging one but the other hitting her in the chest. The femme was slammed into a wall and became dazed.

Sitting slumped against the side of the hanger, she did not notice as Soundwave approached, picking up a piece of metal as he went with his extra appendages. Bending it into a U shape he held it with one while he picked up Violetwind by the right arm with the other.

Lifting her gaze to his visor, her optics were cold. "You fragging Con. I won't let you get away with this!"

She swung her legs aiming to kick him, but he moved her away from himself. Pushing her against the wall he jammed down the piece of metal under her wrist. It dug into the wall and as he let go she was left hanging.

Violetwind growled, struggling against the restraint. "Fragging Soundwave! I'm gonna get you for this! You won't escape my wrath!"

Lifting a sharp finger he scratched the plating on the arm she was hanging on, giving her a wound that mirrored his own. The femme grit her denta from he pain, the anger never leaving her optics.

Slowly the mech walked away, grabbing Ratchet by a leg and dragging him along as he headed for the exit.

"Frag it Soundwave! Get back here! I'm not done with you! Get your greasy claws off Ratchet and come fight me!" Violetwind screamed, thrashing against the restraint on her arm.

Before he left Soundwave turned his head to her. He played back a creepy rendition of her own voice, "Soundwave g- get- get- ing away, get-ing awa-ay."

The chilling remix immediately made her freeze as it sent shivers down her backstruts.

Satisfied with her response, he turned and continued on his way. Leaving the hanger, he summoned a Decepticon ground bridge and disappeared.

Recovering from the shock of Soundwave's playback of her voice, Violetwind let loose a string of angry grunts and screams of frustration, fighting to free herself from the wall. Yet it was useless. She remained trapped, hanging there like a painting, energon dripping down her arm.

_That went well,_ muttered Windy sarcastically.

Hanging her head, the femme closed her optics. The weight of what had just happened slowly sunk in and her vocalisers chocked up. Starting to sob she croaked out one sad sound, "Ratchet..."

* * *

I love how things can happen that your don't plan for; the checkers scene for instance. It was just supposed to be Smoke offering Vi some comfort. But as things do, it grew into something more and got everyone involved!. :)  
Also female Laserbeak because I can, and you can't stop me! *runs off with a wild look in her eye* To be honest, this is like the first and last time Laserbeak makes an appearance in the story so it doesn't really matter.

By the way, small note, there will be no update next week. Chapters should continue to be posted as usual after that in two weeks. Have fun till then guys!


	12. Chapter 12

We're back again and in 2015 no less! It should be a great year and with plenty of Transformers from me! So without further ado, Chapter 12 of _Battle of the Mind_.

* * *

Chapter 12

Lubricant leaked from her optics as Violetwind hung against the wall shaking with soft sobs. Everything had gone so wrong. Soundwave escaped and Ratchet was kidnapped. Smokescreen, Bulkhead and Agent Fowler lay unconscious on the floor, unable to help her or she them.

_Slag that fragger Soundwave,_ huffed Windy.

"I should have been able to do better..."

_You did fine. He was just the sneakier fighter._

She wished she could shake the cold feeling of anger that rose up in her during he fight. It was the same one that had erupted during the battle with Predacon and it frightened her. "What's wrong with me...?"

Windy did not respond. She didn't know the answer.

"I wish Ratchet was still around. I think I'd let him check my processor now..."

_I suppose it is time we admit something's not right..._

Her moping was interrupted by an incoming comm link call. **::**Ratchet, we require immediate transport back to base.**::**

Lifting her head, Violetwind glanced at the main before groaning. With her free hand she slapped her face. How could she be so stupid? "Why didn't you tell me to call for help?"

_What are you blaming me for? I can't be expected to think of everything!_

Agent Fowler sat up, his gaze unfocused. The man possibly had a concussion, "Huh? Stewards, there's a man on the wing of this plane." He flopped back down again, not yet to fully awaken.

**::**Ratchet, do you read?**::** Arcee called again.

Ignoring the man, Violetwind patched in to the comm, "Arcee."

**::**Violet? Is everything alright? Where's Ratchet?**::**

"Um, well, he's gone..."

**::**What?**::** she sounded shocked.

**::**Slagging Soundwave took him,**::** Windy told her.

**::**Where are the others? Are you guys ok?**::**

"They're here. Um, just..." She hesitated looking over her friends.

**::**They're on the floor,**::** her inner companion finished bluntly.

**::**Violetwind, if you would, please open a ground bridge at our location in order for us to return and assess the situation,**::** Optimus' deep voice came over the call.

"I'm sorry but... I can't..." she replied.

Ultra Magnus did not sound pleased as he questioned her, **::**And why not, soldier?**:: **

**::**We can't get to the ground bridge controls right now.**:: **

**::**_'You alright, Vi?'_**::** Bumblebee chirped in concern.

"Let's just say, I'll be hanging around for a while," she tried to make light of her predicament.

Slowly Bulkhead began to stir, soon followed by Smokescreen. The femme breathed a sigh of relief and let the others know, "It's alright. Smoke and Bulkhead are staring to wake up."

The green mech groaned as he sat up, leaning against the humans platform. Beside him Smokescreen held his helm with one hand. "Did someone get the licence plate of that truck?"

"Guys!" Violetwind called out, "Get the ground bridge, the team's ready to come back."

They both looked up to see her hanging from the wall, energon leaking from her arm and dripping over her body. With wide, worried optics the younger mech rushed over, "Vi, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Just open the ground bridge first. Then come get me down," she instructed, nodding at the controls.

"Right," he rushed over to pull the switch.

Bulkhead came over to her, "That doesn't look comfortable."

"It's not. So if you could, please..." The femme tilted her head to look up the piece of metal holding her up.

"I got it," he assured her. Supporting her body with one hand, he gripped the offending piece of metal with the other and yanked hard. It slid out of the concrete and her hand slipped free.

With a vent of relief she clasped her wounded arm to her chest. "Thank you, Bulk."

He grinned placing her down, "No problem."

Having opened the ground bridge, Smokescreen made his way to her side. Wrapping an arm around her he helped support her weight, her pedes not steady from hanging there so long. "Are you alright? Where's the Doc? He needs to have a look at that arm."

"Soundwave took him," she muttered as the rest of the team walked through the vortex and into the base.

"He did what?" Bulkhead's optics widened. "What would he want with Ratch?"

Approaching the trio, Optimus looked over them with concern. "How are you three doing?"

"Fine, Optimus. Vi's the one who's hurt," Smokescreen told him.

She held her wounded arm a little tighter with her good hand. "I'll be fine. Just need to patch myself up."

Optimus turned to the white Wrecker, "Wheeljack, assist Violetwind with her repairs. The rest shall comb the base for clues."

Nodding in acknowledgement Wheeljack helped Smokescreen take the femme over to the medical bay. Meanwhile the rest of the Bots began a thorough search of the base.

Leaning against the berth, Violetwind lowered her optics, allowing the Wrecker to get a closer look at her wound. "You had any kind of experience with this kind of thing?"

Grinning he nodded, "Yep. Wreckers were known for comin' back with all kinds of wounds. Ya learn to patch up anythin' being around them."

"So she'll be alright?" Smokescreen glanced between them with concern.

"Relax, kid. I'm not Doc, but I think she'll be fine. Just lost a bit of energon and might want to go easy with that arm for a while," he grabbed the welding tools to repair the cut in her armour.

Twenty minutes later Violetwind was fixed up and the base searched. Arcee currently held the only thing they could find, a small piece of metal from their flying intruder.

"Pealed some paint of Laserbeak. If only I were a better shot, Ratchet would still be here, and Vi wouldn't have been hurt," Smokescreen lamented.

The purple femme reached over to touch his arm. "It's not your fault, Smoke. I should have known better than to take on Soundwave head on."

Walking over, Ultra Magnus spoke to them firmly but offered some comfort. "Chin up. We've combed the entire floor, for the moment that remains out only clue."

Bulkhead also joined them, "Nothing in the ground bridge log. If they bridged Ratchet out of here, they used theirs, not ours."

Nodding, Violetwind muttered, "Soundwave's too smart to use ours and be traced..."

With a frown Arcee gestured to the Bots who had remained behind. "Why take Ratchet prisoner but leave these three behind?"

"If Megatron intends to hold our medic hostage, I find it curious he's made no demands," Ultra Magnus lifted a hand to his chin.

"It would stand to reason that Ratchet must possess something that the Decepticons want."

Slamming a fist into his other hand, Bulkhead declared, "Well whatever the Cons are after Ratchet won't give it up." His stern look wavered, "Right?"

Nobody answered. They were all thinking same thing. Ratchet needed to be found before the Decepticons got the chance to extract whatever information they wanted.

"So what now?" Violetwind questioned softly, looking up at the group with concern.

"We figure out what the Cons want with our Doc," Wheeljack muttered, hand to his chin. He proceeded to go over and start looking through Ratchet's files on his computer console.

Over to the side, Agent Fowler was directing units and surveillance in order to do what they could to locate the botnappers. The man barked into his phone, "Listen. I need twenty-four seven satellite monitoring. Eyes to the sky and ears to the ground."

Hanging up, he wandered over to be closer to the Autobots milling around where Optimus greeted him, "Agent Fowler."

He received a light huff in response, although it was not directed at the Prime. "We're doing all we can but I don't know if it'll be enough."

"Do not fear, Agent Fowler. We will locate our medic."

Staring at the monitor, Wheeljack gestured to the pictures on-screen. "Maybe buckethead's after the techno babble."

"The Synth-en formula?" Arcee looked unconvinced.

Smokescreen also voiced his doubts. "Why would the Cons want the artificial stuff if they already control most of this planet's enegon reserves?"

With a shrug Bulkhead replied, "Greed, what else?"

"If Megatron is truly rebuilding the Omega Lock, as Ratchet surmises, Synthetic Energon might be a necessary component," their leader explained.

Interrupting the Bots, Agent Fowler looked grave, "I hate to be the one to bring lightning to a thunderstorm but there's one thing we're all ignoring. The Cons found Ratchet here. They know the location of this base."

The team was silent, the gravity of what he said sinking in. Standing beside Smokescreen, Violetwind felt her door wings quiver with fear. They had been throw out of their last base thanks to the Decepticons, she did not want to loose this one too. Couldn't they catch a break for once?

Optimus addressed the liaison, "Place everyone on high alert. It is likely the Decepticons will come in an effort to destroy us." He turned to the Autobots. "We shall continue our search for Decepticon activity on the hope it may reveal their location and allow us a chance to rescue Ratchet."

With nods, everyone got to work. As they each headed off, Violetwind glanced over at the Synthetic Energon formula still displayed on the monitor. Tilting her she wondered if she could complete it. Surely Ratchet was getting close.

_Perhaps it just needs to be looked at in a fresh light..._

~oOo~

Violetwind spent the time going over what Ratchet knew of the formula. She sifted through all his notes on the subject. Searching through Ratchet's files, Violetwind came across something unexpected. Opening one up she stared at the screen in shock. It showed a processor scan, but it was not just any processor. It was hers.

_That fragging medic!_ Windy yelled in her head._ We told him not to do that! We did tell him didn't we? I'm as sure as the Pit we had that conversation._

"We did..." The femme muttered quietly.

_Frag it, Ratchet! We said no more!_

"He... He must have taken it after I slipped into recharge when he was fixing up all the scratches from my fight with Knock Out," she deduced. Feeling uncomfortable about the invasion of privacy, she shook her head and closed the file. "For now let's just focus on completing the formula and getting Ratchet back. Besides, his concerns might not be unfounded..."

_Yes, but- ugh... He still should have asked,_ her inner companion huffed.

Behind her the liaison and other Bots started talking. Not wanting to miss any news about Ratchet, the femme turned in her audios to listen in to the conversation.

"All aerial search patterns are coming up empty," grumbled Agent Fowler with a sigh as he stood on the walkway in front of the main computer screens.

Arcee wandered over adding, "No comm link chatter either."

"And no ground activity," continued Wheeljack as he observed the monitors with a a sense of unease. "It's a little too quiet out there."

"Since the Decepticons no longer seek Predacon bones or Earth technology there is no activity to track," Optimus summed up the lack of any leads.

Looking downcast, Bulkhead muttered, "So until Megatron makes a move we're in a holding pattern..."

Pausing in her work, Violetwind inclined her helm towards the group._ I wish there was more we could do..._

_To just keep hoping that something comes up isn't really my style._

_Not much we can do about it you know. _

_I do. So let's just keep at it. Then, maybe, we can be of some help._

"Mhmm," the femme got back to her work on the formula, finding it difficult to forget what Ratchet might be subjected to on board the Nemesis.

Not happy with the lack of optimism shown by the Bots, Ultra Magnus' optics shone with determination. "Ratchet didn't think this new hand he built for me was good enough," he lifted the limb to look at it, "But I'll tell you what truly isn't good enough: giving up. We have no choice but to play this old school. Split into teams for maximum coverage."

Almost as soon as the last words left his mouth, alarms blared around them. Red lights flashed in warning.

Violetwind glanced up with alarm. "What is it?"

"We have incoming," the liaison declared watching the screens, "A whole fleets worth."

"Optimus?" Smokescreen turned to the mech.

"Remain calm, Autobots," the Prime's deep voice reassured them.

No one moved as they heard the fighter jets take off to confront the intruders.

The moments ticked by, a tense air holding the bots in place. All that could be heard was the sounds of fighting going on outside.

"Air cover is holding. For the moment." Agent Fowler uttered.

Minutes went by and not a single being in base said a word. Everyone waited with anxious looks for the news of the fighter jets, hoping that they had driven off their attackers.

Leaving Ratchet's bench, the purple femme moved closer to the others, finding comfort in their presence. With the air so frightful and tense, should couldn't possibly continue to work.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the building but their hanger sustained no damage. A collective sigh of relief came from the occupants. None were more relieved that Violetwind. Her door wings relaxed from their agitated state of twitches and she threw her arms around the closest being.

_'Uh, hey,'_ Bumblebee trilled with surprise. _'It's ok, Violet.'_

She let out a slow vent, "I was so scared we were gonna die."

_'Oh that's right, you didn't know about our little trick,'_ he chirped with amusement.

Releasing the mech, she looked up at him curiously. "What trick?"

A light danced from his optics, _'Come and have a look.'_

He led the way outside, the rest of the Bots also following. They moved to stand by the side of their base, letting the human firefighters do their jobs and douse the flames from the destroyed building.

"The mess hall sure is a mess," Smokescreen smirked as they looked upon the rubble.

The scout pointed to where the front of the building lay. Following his gaze she caught sight of the part that showed the letter identifying which building it was. It said E.

"I thought _we_ were in hanger E..."

_'We are.' _

"We are fortunate the Decepticons can be fooled by a simple paint job," Ultra Magnus clarified, nodding towards it.

Taking another look she noticed that the paint he spoke of was washing away to reveal the letter F. The femme grinned, "Very fortunate."

_And we now have the advantage that they think us dead. Just wait till they found out that we've returned from the grave!_

~oOo~

The next day Violetwind continued to work on completing the formula for Synthetic Energon. Though she was not the only one to be performing analysis that day.

The children had returned, the base no longer at risk with no a Decepticon prisoner or possibility of attack. They had filled them in what occurred the night before and thus brought the trio up to speed. Since then Rafael had hooked up the piece of Laserbeak to his laptop.

"So the kid clipped the business end of Laserbeak's transponder," Wheeljack grinned.

Arcee glanced over at Smokescreen, "You're not such a bad shot afterall."

Fowler walked over to where Raf was typing at his computer, Jack and Miko standing on either side of the boy. "We thought you might be the best one to provide analysis, in Ratchet's absence."

Raf smiled with good news, "It's trying to communicate with the warship."

Leaning forward on the table, the girl glanced between the computer and the boy, "How do you know?"

"It's telling us," he gestured to the screen.

"Uh, Raf," Jack noticed something with surprise, "that's Cybertronian code."

"Wait, first Raf understands Bumblebee, now he reads Cybertronian. Are we sure he's not some kind of alien?" Miko stared at the boy.

"I've been learning for a while. In between stuff when... Ratchet had time to teach me," the youngest human chocked.

Jack's face softened as he placed his hands on Raf's shoulders in comfort. "Hey, Raf. We'll get him back."

Miko nodded firmly, hands on her hips. "If it's the last thing we do."

Steering their attention back to the task, Agent Fowler asked, "If it's talking to its momma can we triangulate the signal?"

Turning away from the main monitors, Ultra Magnus gave the man a look that wondered if he was thinking properly. "To shielded warship?"

"If the transponder were still attached to Laserbeak we could follow it," Arcee added her thought.

Stroking his chin Wheeljack grinned, "Why don't we give it wings?"

Arcee and Ultra Magnus shared a glance not sure what he was getting at. In the background, Violetwind glanced up to look over at he mech wondering if he felt alright. Even Bumblebee and Smokescreen shared an uncertain glance.

However, the boy smiled picking up on the idea. "We can use spare parts from the machine shop."

"Then let's do it. For the Doc."

~oOo~

Boy and mech spent the next few hours putting together a machine that could fly, allowing the transponder to head for the Nemesis and therefore leading the Autobots to their comrade. The bots considered it their best chance at finding Ratchet and they were not about to let it pass by.

There had been a few mishaps, almost taking out Jack and Agent Fowler the worst of them. However, Wheeljack and Rafael proved to be quiet the team in putting together the flying robot, which they named Chip.

However, Violetwind and Windy had another idea in mind. If all the Decepticons wanted was Synthetic Energon they could have it; in exchange for Ratchet, of course. They just needed to complete it in order to perform the trade but the femme was sure she was close.

_Try substituting two rubidium for a barium in order to make it more stable._

With a few strokes on the keyboard, Violetwind did just that in the simulator. "Think it'll work?"

_It can't fail any more than the last thousand slagging times. Let's do it._

Taping the start, she set the computer simulation running. After a few moments a smile slipped onto the femme's face. The formula was complete. With a slight gasp she whispered in awe, "We did it..."

_We just need to make it now._

"Good thing Ratchet taught us how to do that too."

She set about creating Synthetic Energon with the tools at her disposal. Surprisingly it did not take much time to make. Within an hour she had a jar of the substance and run a few preliminary tests.

Holding up the container of light blue-green liquid she compared it with Ratchet's previous sample. She noted that her own was much more blue than the bright green from the uncompleted Synthetic Energon.

Violetwind smiled, "We did it. Now we can get Ratchet back."

_Well done, Vi! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't helped slagging do it myself. _

"Me neither. I couldn't have done it without you."

_Let's go tell Optimus!_


	13. Chapter 13

And here we are again. Hope you guys enjoy this one!

* * *

Chapter 13

Leaving Ratchet's incomplete sample of energon on the table, Violetwind skipped over to Optimus' side. Eagerly presenting the jar of Synthetic Energon to him, the femme was unable to keep her door wings from quivering in excitement. "Optimus, we did it! We completed the Synthetic Energon formula!"

Taking the jar from her, he inspected it with a small smile, "This has none of the ill effects of its predecessor?"

"Nope, completely stable," her chest puffed up with pride.

"Well done, Violetwind and Windy. Congratulations to you both. We shall greatly benefit from this discovery," he handed back the Synthetic Enegon.

Hugging it to her chest, she looked hopefully up at him, "Optimus, we can use it to trade the Decepticons for Ratchet. If all they want it the Synth En, we can get him back."

The Prime's face fell, his voice grave. "Violetwind. We cannot simply hand the Synthetic Energon to the Decepticons. If they are rebuilding the Omega Lock as Ratchet surmised and Synthetic Energon _is_ a necessary component, we cannot endanger Earth. You know Megatron will only use it to cyberform your planet."

Dropping her head, her optics lost their light. "But..."

He rested a hand on her shoulder, "Do not concern yourself over this. We shall get Ratchet back. For now, let us proceed with our current plan of action. Rafael and Wheeljack are about to launch Chip. Ratchet will be pleased to hear of your success."

Turning he headed to the exit, leaving the femme in a slight state of shock.

She stared after him, crushed by his answer. "But..."

_What?! How could he fragging do this to us! What if it doesn't work. What the Pit is he going to do then! The exchange is our best slagging option!_

_'Hey, Vi, you coming?'_ trilled Bumblebee as he walked past, jerking her out of her thoughts.

For a moment she blankly started after him, before nodding and following him outside.

The whole team was gathered around where Chip was set up and ready to launch. The femme stood at the back, staring down at the Synthetic Energon still in her hands. Disappointed she didn't give the conversation around her much attention, letting them prepare without her.

Agent Fowler leaned closer with an uncertain look on his face. "You sure we don't need to install a GPS on our scout here?"

"Too risky, " Wheeljack replied. "Both sides are getting' real good at rooting out that kinda trick."

"Besides, we don't need a tracker," Smokescreen added confidently.

Rafael grinned up at their leader. "We have Optimus."

Tilting her head, Miko looked up at him, "But won't they see you coming, Big Guy?"

"Not until it's too late," Bulkhead replied for him.

Ultra Magnus stepped forward, "We'll be prepared for immediate mobilisation upon your command, Sir."

"Good luck, Optimus," Smokescreen offered encouragement.

Arcee added, "Be safe."

_'Go get Ratchet back,'_ chirped Bumblebee.

In the back Violetwind remained silent, not even looking towards the mech as the others called out encouragement. Her gaze was narrowed as as stared at the ground, the feeling of rejection cutting deep. The reasonable part of her mind knew that Optimus was right, that Chip was their safest option. Yet, she still wanted to do more.

With a small grin at the young boy, Optimus spoke warmly, "Whatever the outcome, know that Ratchet would be most proud of your contribution."

Raf beamed, his heart swelling up with joy at the praise.

Kneeling down, Wheeljack looked to the young human, "Come on, kid. Let's light this thing."

With a nod to the mech, Rafael pressed a button on his remote control. Chip's engines burst to life and blasted off into the air. Transforming his jet pack for flight, Optimus took off after it.

Watching him fly off into the distance the purple femme clenched her jaw. She was not about to sit around and wait. Turning her optics back to the Synthetic Energon in her hands Violetwind knew exactly what she was going to do.

_You sure you're up for this?_

_Having doubts yourself? s_he smirked.

Windy huffed, _Nope. Let's do it._

Glancing at the others to make sure no one was paying any attention, she slipped away. Returning to the hanger she stood in front of the main console and input an encrypted message at Windy's instruction. "Alright, so you're sure the Cons will be checking for this signal frequency?"

_Yep. You can bet on it. I used to be one of them remember._

"Right then," taking the jar of Synthetic Energon she opened up the ground bridge, glancing back at the door, "I hope nobody notices that I'm missing. They could ruin everything."

_Let's just get moving then. We don't have fragging time to wait around._

With a firm nod, she turned and entered the swirling tunnel, the ground bridge closing after her. The rest of the Bots were none the wiser.

~oOo~

Violetwind stepped out and found herself in the jungles of Africa. This was the location she had supplied to Megatron for the exchange. It was the ideal place; tall trees to hide them and stop the seekers from having an advantage, and a rough terrain to navigate giving the smaller femme the advantage in manoeuvrability.

Staking out a place for herself to wait, she was uncertain how long she would need to be there. So sitting down, the femme lent against a tree, ready to wait as long as she needed.

Luckily not much time passed before another ground bridge opened up. Immediately she was on her pedes, worried that it might be the Autobots after discovering her absence. But it was not.

Megatron emerged from the vortex, followed by Soundwave and a number of vehicons. Spying the femme he grinned. "All alone are we? Strange, I had been under the impression that the Autobots had been destroyed."

"Our deaths were greatly exaggerated," she mumbled.

"Shame. I shall have to speak with Starscream about that..."

Ignoring his pondering, Violetwind growled, "Where's Ratchet?"

"You can see him once we know that you do indeed possess the Synthetic Energon," he replied coolly.

Bending over she picked up the container of blue-green liquid at her pedes. Lifting it up for him to see, Violetwind called back, "I have it. Now show me Ratchet."

"Excellent. Soundwave," he glanced over at his Third in Command.

With a nod, the lanky mech's tentacles snaked out as he stepped towards Violetwind.

Eyeing the mech, she brought the container of Synthetic Energon to her chest. "You can have this once I get Ratchet."

"I think you misunderstand. You won't be getting Ratchet. You and the energon will be coming with us," Megatron smirked.

The femme took a step back, optics narrowed. "You'll have to catch me first!"

Breaking into a run, Violetwind dashed into the jungle. Behind her, Megatron roared to his troops, "After her!"

_That could have gone better..._

"Yeah..."

Darting through the trees, the the femme quickly made her way through the thick forest gaining a lead on her pursuers. The jungle had done as she hoped and slowed down the larger Decepticons. However, she knew she could not run forever. "Think we should call for some back up?"

_Not unless you feel like taking them on yourself._

"Um, maybe not today..." she muttered, lifting her hand to her helm she prepared to call back to base. Before she could connect she tripped over a fallen tree and let out a shriek. Automatically she hugged the Synthetic Energon to her chest and protected it from the impact with the ground.

With a groan she started to sit up but before she could even finish doing so, she was surrounded. Glancing around at the vehicons, Violetwind spark sank.

Soundwave walked up, a tentacle snatching the container out of her hands. He examined it for a moment as Megatron approached.

"Ah good, you have acquired my prize." The faceless mech handed him the jar which he too admired. With a smile he glanced down at her, "We thank you for your contribution to the Decepticon cause, Violetwind. Soundwave, a ground bridge."

A vortex opened beside them and a trooper urged her to her pedes. Grudgingly she obliged, silently clicking on her comm link to Optimus, not prepared to disappear without quietly letting someone know. _Please apologise for me, Windy..._

A feeling of agreement came from her inner counterpart before she addressed the Prime. _Optimus..._

**::**Windy?**::** came his deep voice.

_Don't say anything, just listen. First off, we're really sorry. We might not have stayed at the base and we _might_ have tried to pull off our idea. And, it _might_ have just gone south. And we very well might be headed for the Nemesis... Sorry Optimus..._

Before he had a chance to respond Violetwind dropped the call and hung her head as she walked through the ground bridge. This had not been a part of her plan. She'd already been aboard the warship more times that she would have liked and today was not supposed to add another to the list.

As she entered the familiar grey metallic halls she was surprised to see Knock Out waiting there. The red mech danced on his pedes as his optics landed on his leader. Clearing his vocalisers he spoke, "Lord Megatron. Uhh, there's been a situation... Erm, more like an accident really-

Lacking patience, Megatron leaned closer to growl at the medic, "Spit. It. OUT!"

Trembling Knock Out blurted, "The prisoner has escaped!"

With a groan the Decepticon leader tossed the Synthetic Energon at the mech, who fumbled with the jar almost dropping it. Megatron gave him a stern look, "Take that to Shockwave. And I trust you can deal with our latest prisoner."

Recovering his nerve, Knock Out grinned, "With pleasure, my liege."

Grunting, Megatron stalked off down the hallway and out of sight.

With his master now gone, Knock Out smiled some more as he turned his optics onto the new prisoner. "Looks like we meet again, and this time in more favourable circumstances too."

Violetwind grit her denta staring straight ahead, not about to give the mech the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Inside, however, she was as frightened as a lost child, but held it in check just enough not to let it show. Though part of her was happy at the news that Ratchet had escaped. It gave her the tiniest glimmer of hope that she might not be there long.

For now though she had to contend with Knock Out leaning closer to look directly into her optics. "I am most happy to see you, little femme. You don't know how long it took me to repair and buff all those scratches you gave me."

Looking away she did not answer.

"Nothing to say? That's alright. I'm sure I'll get something out of you later when I personally cut you open and tear out your spark."

A shudder ran though her at his menacing threat. Her mask fell and the fear she had tried to keep hidden shone from her optics as her door wings trembled.

"That's more like it. Take her away," he grinned and waved his free hand as he walked off. This left the vehicons to take care of Violetwind, leading her away to Shockwave's laboratory to confirm that she had brought them stable Synthetic Energon.

~oOo~

Optimus' spark clenched in worry as he dodged incoming blaster fire and called back to base. "Autobots, Violetwind has been captured."

**::**What!**::** Smokescreen yelled. **::**When? But how?**::**

"She contacted me as Starscream's armada approached my position and engaged in an assault. I fear the Decepticons now posses the completed Synthetic Enegon as well..."

**::**Optimus, what do we do?**::** asked Arcee, concerned about the femme, as they all were.

"Remain alert. I will contact you again when I have sighted the warship," he returned, ending the comm link and pulling out his machine gun. Pulling the trigger he let loose the stream of energon blasts against the Decepticon seekers.

Back at the base, one young mech felt an ache in his spark that threatened to tear him apart. He wrung his hands and his door wings twitched, not able to stand still. "Scrap, Vi... What were you thinking..."

~oOo~

Speeding through the halls of the Nemesis, Ratchet dodged the Decepticon troopers' blaster fire. Driving away he ducked around a few corners and lost sight of the vehicons trying to recapture him.

Had he been in robot mode, he would have grinned. "Not bad for a old bot."

Before he had the chance to enjoy his small victory, who should walk around the corner but the Decepticon leader himself. Lifting a pede Megatron brought it down on the the ambulance's front, squashing it under his weight.

Ratchet strained under the pressure, unable to escape. His voice was raspy as he spoke, "If you terminate me you'll never get my help to finish the formula."

Stepping off the medic, he allowed the old bot to transform though Ratchet remained bent over as he recovered.

Megatron smirked, "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, doctor. Violetwind was quiet capable in discovering it for herself. Once again she has been a great help to the Decepticons."

Lifting his head up, horror and shock shone from Ratchet's optics. _How could she do this?_ He felt the sting of betrayal. _But I guess it's not much different to what I was doing..._

"Smart, but not wise that one. She thought she could trade it for you." Megatron chuckled to himself. "Now get moving."

~oOo~

Megatron guided the Autobot medic back to Shockwave's laboratory. Hearing the door slide open Violetwind's head flicked up. Her optics widened as her gaze rested on the mech. She had been hoping he would be able to get the rest of the Bots here for a rescue.

"Ratchet!" she stepped towards him, longing for a familiar presence.

The femme did not get far as the vehicons flanking her grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back in line. With their blasters aimed at her once again, she dipped her head in submission.

The Bot looked over in her direction, glad to see she was alright but wishing she did not have to be there at all. He was partially responsible for it too, that is, if Megatron was to be trusted.

Shockwave turned to his new guests. "Spectrum analysis confirms that the Synthetic Energon is stable. The formula is complete."

"And your time table for production?" queried the leader.

"With the aid of hyper acceleration technology, not long," the one optiked mech answered.

Megatron glanced between their captives with a sly grin. "A pity you won't live long enough to witness the fruits of your labour."

Between the two troopers, Violetwind quivered in fear. She shared a worried glance with Ratchet. Neither one of them had a clue how or if they were going to get out of this one.

The mech continued, "But as much as we appreciate your contributions, I've made a promise to someone I intend to keep."

Knock Out raised a finger as he approached, "My liege, may I-"

"No, Knock Out," he growled, "Predaking, will be far more pleased if we present him with both. Especially since one was present at the death of his _brethren_."

The vain mech was upset by such news, he had been looking forward to getting his own revenge. Yet, he said nothing, only backing away again with his helm lowered.

"Take them away!"

~oOo~

The vehicons tossed the pair out onto the upper deck of the Nemesis. The door closed after them with a resounding thud. They were not going back that way any time soon.

Finally able to speak, Ratchet turned to the femme as he stood. "How could you do something so stupid?"

Sitting up, Violetwind stared at the deck. "I don't know," she mumbled, "maybe cause I am stupid... I only wanted to help rescue you, Ratchet. To actually be useful for once... Guess that didn't really work out..."

The mech's optics softened. "While you obviously weren't being very wise, I can see that your spark was in the right place." With a smile he extended a hand to help her up. "I am quiet impressed that you were able to complete the formula before I did."

Taking his hand, Violetwind smiled a little. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without all your work."

Heavy pede steps brought their attention to another figure. The massive form of Predaking stood glaring down at them, not at all impressed. "If you two are done. Prepare yourselves to meet my brethren in the All Spark!"

Stepping forward, the mech threw a punch at Ratchet's head, flinging to Bot into the wall. Violetwind scrambled backwards to avoid the same treatment, worry shining from her optics as she glanced over at the medic.

The Predacon took a deliberate step forward, staring down the pair. He growled, "Do you feel defenceless, Autobots? Now you know what my fellow Predacons endured."

Reaching over, Predaking grabbed the femme's arm and lifted her up to his optic level. Fear shuddered along her frame. Staring into his furious optics, she couldn't stop the quiver in her door wings.

His voice was laced with an anger she had only ever encountered during the battle in the cave. "Right before you massacred them!"

Flicking Violetwind downward, he threw her against the ship, metal screeching and crumpling upon impact. Pain flared up from everywhere but was primarily focused on her shoulder and door wing where she had initially hit the deck. With closed optics she could only whimper, wishing this was all a bad dream, yet feeling the warm energon leak over her armour.

Stepping over her, Predaking set his sights on Ratchet.

The mech glanced past the beast to Violetwind worried about her injuries when she did not get up. "Violet?"

_Vi, don't give up. I know it's hard but ya gotta get up. _When the femme didn't respond she yelled, _Slag, Vi! Get up! Ratchet can't take on that monster by himself!_

Proving as much, he picked up the Autobot medic and tossed him into the open deck area, bathing him in sunlight. Charging forward, Predaking transformed into his beast mode, letting out an almighty screech.

Groaning, Violetwind slowly lifted herself off the ground, every pain sensor flaring, "But we couldn't take him when I was with Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack. And they're way better fighters than us!"

_Do you want to die! I sure don't!_

Holding her wounded arm, she stood watching as the Predacon picked up her friend and mentor in his mouth and flung him into a wall. The less than desirable cold fury started to creep into her again. Venting heavily she grit her denta, muttering with worry, "Windy..."

_Try to stay calm. Um, just..._ Windy stopped, fighting the overwhelming emotion herself.

Glancing back at the battle, she saw Predaking scratching at the medic's chest plates. She couldn't keep the anger from rising up in her. Couldn't stand back and watching the beast hurt her friend. The pain numbed as fury fuelled her. Dropping her arms, her servos transformed into blasters.

_Get him._

Immediately her arms raised and blaster fire rained down on the Predacon. With an angry cry she charged forward. Whipping his head around he glared at the foolish femme. His tail smacked into her side flinging her in front of him.

Crashing on the ground she ignored the fresh pain, jumping up to continue shooting. Not amused by her persistence, the beast conjured up fire in his chest. The flames shot out at her, forcing her to roll to the side. The stream of fire died down and he leapt forward, knocking her to the ground. Placing a pede on her, he growled in Violetwind's face.

In response she spat up into his optic. "Is that all you got you overgrown metal lizard?"

This earned her an audio splitting roar.

Ratchet got up, holding his side and watching the fight with wide optics. Now he was certain something was amiss with Violetwind. Never would she have done this normally. Such defiance was not in her nature. Something else also dawned on the mech. Something that could not wait.

"Predaking!" The beast turned his head to look at the mech. "If you truly want to avenge your cohorts," he paused to pant, "don't stop with us! Keep avenging, all the way to Megatron!"

Transforming back into robot mode, the Predacon stared at him with a raised optic ridge. "What? What do you mean?"

No longer being stepped on, Violetwind rolled over and stood to her pedes. A wild look remained in her optics but she remained still, heavily venting air through her intakes.

Taking a step forward, Ratchet continued, "Your high and mighty leader _wanted_ your Predacons exterminated and simply allowed us to do his dirty work for him."

Picking the mech up by the shoulder, Predaking did not believe him. "Nothing but a false claim to save your own spark."

Beside them, Violetwind slowly came down from her whirlwind of emotion, as Ratchet's calm demeanour radiated over to her. A heavy ache fell over her entire body, threatening to make her collapse but she remained standing to look up at the medic, wondering what he was getting at.

"You consider yourself an intelligent being don't you?" The two mechs stared at one another, Predaking not saying a word as Ratchet went on. "Then rise above your base instincts and _analyse_ the situation."

The beast dropped the medic, a thoughtful look on his face. He was pondering the mech's words. Could Megatron have betrayed him?

Ratchet lifted himself so that he was half standing, "We followed a trail that day with a desperate hope that it would lead to an energon mine."

"We... We _never_ expected to find Shockwave's lab..." Violetwind uttered softly. "We never went in with the intention of killing them all..."

"A coincidence barely seems plausible," grumbled the Predacon, glancing between the pair.

"Because it wasn't a coincidence," stressed Ratchet, trying to get him to see reason. "Energon was clearly _planted_ to lure us there by Megatron."

"Hmm," he tilted his head, "and why would my liege wish to destroy us?"

The medic made a noise like a snort, "Having just been on the receiving end of your might, one theory springs to mind. Megatron fears you."

Violetwind shrank back as he bared his sharp teeth and growled. But, instead of attacking them further Predaking turned and stormed off, tearing through the door to get back inside the Nemesis. Watching him leave, she vented her relief.

_Slag, I thought for sure that today was gonna be our last day._

_Well, for now, it's not. _

Overwhelmed from the pain and exhaustion, the femme collapsed. Dropping unceremoniously to the floor she was unconscious before she even hit the ground.

* * *

Hehehehe gotta love cliffhanger endings like that. Till next time folks!


	14. Chapter 14

Next chapter, here it is! Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 14

"Violet! Violetwind!" Ratchet yelled, violently shaking the femme.

She groaned, slowly opening her optics. "What is it, Ratchet? Can't you let me sleep?"

The femme started to close her optics again when he gave her another shake. "No. We don't have much time. Megatron is preparing to cyberform Earth. He must be stopped."

Her optics snapped open. "My family!"

"Yes, they're in danger. Along every other living thing on the planet."

"Ok, help me up..."

Helping her to her pedes, Ratchet slung her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her to help her stand. They started to shuffle off together. "We must find a way to contact the others."

Nodding Violetwind gritted her denta in an effort to ignore the pain. She knew Ratchet was just as injured and would be hurting as much as she did but the whole Earth was in danger and much more important than a bit of pain.

Wandering into the Nemesis they saw the scattered and crushed remains of vehicons, evidence of Predaking's rampage.

_With any luck, he'll finish of Megatron for us._

_I donno Windy. I mean, Megatron's pretty tricky._

_Doesn't mean a gal can't dream._

The pair stopped by a console, the two troopers that had been at the post were lying lifeless on the floor beside it.

Carefully letting go of Violetwind, the medic made sure she could stand on her own before turning to the computer. Tapping a few keys he opened up a comm link with the Autobot's base.

"Autobot base, do you read? This is Ratchet, can anyone hear me?"

A joy filled response came from Optimus himself, ::Loud and clear, old friend.::

They could also hear the rest of the Bots and humans cheering, earning a small smile from Violetwind as she leaned against the wall.

However, Ratchet did not have time for pleasantries, "Listen to me. Megatron has managed to rebuild the Omega Lock on board his warship. I've deactivated the Decepticon shielding system. You should be able to get a fix on my coordinates."

Blaster fire around the corner momentarily grabbed their attention. Turning from it, Violetwind glanced at the mech with worry.

Frowning Ratchet continued, "Optimus, you must hurry. Megatron is preparing to cyberform Earth as we speak."

**::**Ratchet we have reason to believe Violetwind has also been taken prisoner by the Decepticons. Have you had any contact?**::** Optimus questioned.

"I'm here," she called out, "I'm safe."

"Optimus, you must hurry," Ratchet implored a final time and ended the call. He quickly grabbed Violetwind and they hurried off, not about to get caught in a fight with some vehicon troopers if they could avoid it.

"Can your transform?"

The femme grimaced but nodded, "I should be able to."

He nodded and transformed, waiting for her to do the same. Transforming down into her alternate mode, Violetwind followed as Ratchet took off.

Suddenly the air on board the warship tensed, like the quiet before the storm. It filled the pair with hope. They knew exactly what that storm was: the Autobots arrival.

Opening a comm link to the team, Ratchet reported, "The Omega Lock's control station is located on the lower deck. Violetwind and I, are making our way there now."

**::**Copy, Ratchet.**::** Optimus took command, **::**We will rendezvous at the objective. Arcee, lead the Stealth Team to secure the Omega Lock. Ultra Magnus, you and the Wreckers, storm the bridge. Prevent the Decepticons from targeting the device if Stealth Team is delayed.**::**

Arcee showed some concern, **::**Optimus, if we fail to secure the Omega Lock before it's ready to deploy, do we destroy it?**::**

**::**I do not intend to squander a second chance to restore Cybertron.**::**

_I sure hope we can do this..._ Violetwind thought with worry.

_We have to have hope. We can fraggin' do this._

"Violetwind?" The medic interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"What happened to you back there, when we were being attacked by the Predacon?"

The femme softly whimpered, not really wanting to talk about the strange occurrence. It was difficult to understand. Yet, she knew she would have to tell Ratchet sooner or later. She guessed the present moment was as good as any.

"I... I don't really know for sure... It was like a rage that came over me when I saw you getting hurt. A similar thing happened when we fought Predaking back in the cave and then when Soundwave took you prisoner. I- I changed... Just became angry and attacked."

The mech stalled briefly. "How could you not have told me sooner?!"

"Well, it wasn't really like I had much time..." she whined, "Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack came back injured and you had the commander's new hand to make... And- and I didn't understand what happened to me!"

"Calm down," he barked, silencing her before she could start babbling. With a soft vent he replied in a calmer tone, "It must be something to do with the mind transfer. Something in your processor is not reacting well."

"What can we do?"

"I am not certain. If we had the time I would perform some tests but as it is, we do not..."

"Forget about me, Ratchet. Earth's more important than one little femme."

The medic grunted. She was right, but he had trouble not thinking about her broken mind. However, they were almost at the Omega Lock and had a job to do.

Slowing down, Ratchet transformed. He quietly signalled for the femme to remain silent. Peering around the corner, he saw two vehicon guards at the door.

Moving back from the edge, he whispered, "Do you have any immobilising bombs on you?"

Transforming she held a questioning look on her face, "Yeah."

"Good. There's two guards on the door."

Picking up on what he wanted, she grinned. "Sure thing."

Sneaking over to the corner, she slipped a bomb from her subspace. She rolled it around her fingers taking a peak at the guards, making sure they hadn't been noticed, which they hadn't. Inhaling a deep breath, she flung the small bomb at the ground between their pedes. Hitting the ground it exploded with a plume of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the troopers were frozen in place.

_Oh look, two nice new statues. Don't you just love the way the Decepticons do their interior decorating._

The femme giggled lightly at Windy's sly humour.

Ratchet gave her an odd look as he passed, not saying anything, yet wondering if crazy had struck her again.

Biting back her laughter she uttered, "Windy."

He still frowned but nodded. "Be careful. Shockwave is likely to be inside. I'll keep him busy, you see what you can do about shutting down the Omega Lock."

"Ok," she muttered in acknowledgement. "Ratchet..."

"Yes?"

"Please try not to get too hurt." Her fearful optics looked up into his.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Just pay attention to your task and not to me."

She nodded, doing her best to put her worry to the side.

_You can do this. I'll help guide you where I can_.

After sharing a final look, Ratchet turned and flicked down his hands to bring out his swords. Moving forward he headed through the door to the Omega Lock.

The Omega Lock control station was housed in a large room. Along the walls huge containers were filling with cybermatter made from CNA and completed Synthetic Energon. Off to one side, Shockwave stood at a console, focused on monitoring the Omega Lock's status.

"Shut it down, Shockwave," yelled Ratchet. "I cannot allow you to harm Earth."

Turning to look at the medic, the Con with a single optic replied in his monotoned voice, "The planet will not be harmed, only its indigenous life forms."

Ratchet's optics narrowed, "Over my sparkless husk."

The medic let out an angry shout and charged for the scientist. Shockwave, however, was unfazed by the attack. With ease he toss the mech over his shoulder and against one of the cybermatter containers. He crashed to the ground, his swords retracting involuntarily.

While Shockwave was distracted, Violetwind took the opportunity and rushed over to the console. Looking over the cybertronian symbols, her optics danced about trying trying to make sense of the controls. "Alright, so what do I do?"

_We need to find the one that will stop the process._

"And which one might that be?"

_Slag it, I don't know._

"Maybe if I just tried pushing buttons..." she moved her hand towards it.

_No! Don't! You might fire it! Then we could all be in trouble._

The femme froze. "Ah, yeah, that might not be so good..." Retracting her hand, she glanced over the controls again. "Ok, so, which one looks most like an off switch?"

Before Windy could respond Arcee' s voice came through the comm link. **::**Ratchet, Violetwind, we're approaching your position.**::**

Glancing over at Ratchet, the femme cringed; he was having his aft handed to him. Feeling the anger begin to rise up again, she looked away. "Arcee, just get here quick."

**::**Scrap.**::**

"What's wrong?"

**::**Cons.**::**

The blue femme dropped the link and Violetwind groaned. That is just what what they needed right then, more trouble.

Another crash sounded in the background, which the femme did her best to ignore. Knowing that she could not just keep standing there and despite the risk, she reached over and pressed a key. And nothing happened. Breathing a sigh of relief she tried another one. This one brought up the schematics of the Omega Lock.

"That doesn't really help me..."

Looking down she picked a different button. "Maybe..." she reached out her hand again but before she could try yet another it started beeping. Jumping back she cried, "It wasn't me, I didn't do anything!"

Shockwave looked over at her and the console. His single optic and lack of a face made it hard for her to tell of he was surprised or angry or if he even felt anything. All he did was start walking over, aiming his gun at her.

Door wings quivering, she was unable to move until Windy barked, _Vi, duck!_

Obeying, she did just that, the shot flying over her head.

Picking himself up from his last knock back, Ratchet swung his sword at the Con. Shockwave countered the attack with his gun, giving him a punch to the stomach plates and watched as he slumped to the ground.

Leaving him there, the mech walked over to the console. Assessing the monitor he reported, "Lord Megatron, the Omega Lock is fuelled and ready."

_Slag, Vi do something!_

Nodding she stepped forward, bringing out her blade and aiming for the mech's helm. He saw it coming and side stepped. Quickly he pressed the holographic button and the floor in the centre of the room opened up.

Violetwind froze in surprise. Underneath the Nemesis hung a reconstructed Omega Lock in all its glory. A more welcome sight, however, was the form of Optimus Prime. He stood just under the rim off the floor, his machine gun pointed up at Shockwave.

A wide grin lit up the femme's face. "Optimus!"

"Violetwind, move."

Only to happy to obey the Prime, she started to back off, but the Decepticon grabbed her wrist. Pulling her in front of him, Shockwave wrapped an arm around her neck, his gun hand pointed at her side. "It would be illogical for you to fire and risk the femme's safety."

The femme whimpered, not liking the way things were going. She had had enough of being the scapegoat, of being tossed about and used as somebody's punching bag.

Optimus narrowed his optics, yet did not lower his weapon. The leader was weighing his options. He could not risk her safety but still had to stop Shockwave.

_Windy, what do I do?_ she asked, knowing she couldn't just stand there and be used as a hostage. Ratchet still lay crumpled on the floor with his wounds and Optimus was at a stalemate. It was up to her.

_Jab your elbow into his stomach plates._

With a grunt of understanding, she clenched her hand and made a quick jab with her elbow into his lower stomach plates. Surprised by the attack the mech let go of her. Free from his hold Violetwind purposely dropped to the floor and shouted, "Optimus, now!"

Shots from his machine gun rang out at the Decepticon, forcing him to seek cover. Unfortunately before Optimus could do more Megatron fired at his gun, knocking it from his hand. The silver mech flew towards the Autobot in his alternate mode, transforming to grab him and knocking them both off the ledge with the momentum. Together they crashed onto the rim of the Omega Lock.

No longer having his hand occupied or being threatened, Shockwave pressed a button on the control panel. Looking up, Violetwind watched with wide optics as the large containers around them that had been filling up as they came in now started to drain. Her gaze followed the cybermatter as it flowed down into the Omega Lock, the power surging through the device and lighting up energon lines, the pillars sparking. At the rim it filled with the cybermatter, creating a pool with ripples along its surface, much like the first time they saw it back on Cybertron.

Getting up, Optimus and Megatron continued to fight, throwing punches at their opponent's helm. Getting knocked back, Megatron pulled out the Dark Star Sabre. The glowing purple sword ebbed with power. He swung it around but the energy wave flew over his opponent's head. About to take another try, Optimus hit the hilt of the sword, knocking it out of the Decepticon's grip. The Dark Star Sabre landed behind the him, far out of reach.

The silver mech growled, continuing the fight. As he did so, Megatron called to his scientist through a comm, "Shockwave, prepare to fire the-"

He was cut off as the entire ship began to tilt.

Violetwind was glad she had not risen, as those who were standing wobbled unsteadily on their pedes. However, it did not make her any less scared or confused about their situation. "Ratchet?"

Picking himself up, the medic glanced over at her before looking about the room. He took in the empty containers and the tilting of the ship as it changed direction, shifting to the other side. Lastly he took in Shockwave standing at the Omega Lock controls.

With a pained grunt, he lifted himself to his pedes. One hand clutched his side while the other transformed into a sword. Using what strength he had left, Ratchet raced forward, slashing at the Decepticon.

While Ratchet fought with Shockwave again, Violetwind got to her hands and knees. With the Con occupied again it was her best chance to do something about the Omega Lock.

_Don't fret about the floor,Vi. That's what equilibrium sensors are for._

"Right," she muttered. Heaving herself to her pedes, pain flared up across her body again, earning a whimper. Doing her best to ignore it, she walked back over to the console, sounds of the fighting around her filling her audios. Taking a worried glance at Ratchet she hoped that he could hold out.

Before she could turn her attention back to the Omega Lock controls, none other than Smokescreen phased through the door. A wide grin broke out onto the femme's face as she let out a breath of relief. Not only was she happy to see him, but what he carried could turn the battle in their favour: the Star Sabre.

Switching off his phase shifter, Smokescreen glanced around. His optics found hers and he smiled and she could see the relief in them. However, they didn't have time for a reunion, "Optimus?"

Violetwind pointed to where their leader was fighting with Megatron below them.

With a nod, Smokescreen rushed forward preparing to throw the Star Sabre. "Optimus, catch!"

At that moment Bumblebee shoved two of Starscream's seekers through the door in an effort to get in. Arcee followed with Starscream.

Breaking away from his fight with Ratchet, Shockwave pointed his gun arm at Smokescreen. Looking up from where he fell, the medic's optics widened, "Smokescreen!"

Without hesitation Shockwave fired, the shot hitting the young mech in the shoulder and knocking him into one of the empty jars. The Star Sabre fell from his grip, flung away by the motion of his fall.

A shrill scream erupted from Violetwind, "Smokescreen!"

While everyone else's gaze locked on the weapon, the femme's was focused on the rookie. Her spark felt like it had stopped cold, a fright taking hold of it unlike anything else.

Starscream was the first to move. He shoved a trooper out of the way and ran for the relic. Kicking away the vehicons, Bumblebee gave chase. Following closely behind were Arcee and the only seeker that had remained standing.

Even Shockwave ran for the Star Sabre. His logic circuits dictated the importance of the artifact and not letting it fall back into the Prime's hands.

Ignoring their chase, Violetwind rushed over to Smokescreen's side as he got up. "Smoke, are you alright?"

He grimaced as he had a look at the burnt metal but nodded, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Optimus needs the Star Sabre."

The mech looked her over, his optics widening in concern. He took in the crumpled metal, and energon staining her armour. A sick feeling swelled up in his tanks. He should have been there to protect her.

Before Smokescreen could say anything, Ratchet called out as he leant over the rim of the lower deck, "Optimus, you must use the sabre to destroy the Omega Lock! It is the only way to save Earth!"

Wrapping an arm around Violetwind, the blue mech rushed them over to the edge. They watched – along with ever other Bot and Con – as Bumblebee climbed down to Optimus with the Star Sabre over his shoulder.

The scout trilled to his leader, _'Optimus! Here!' _

"The Star Sabre!" Megatron eyed the weapon with worry. Turning back to Optimus he shoved the mech to the ground. At that moment Bumblebee jumped, sabre raised above his head to throw it. Quickly lifting his fusion cannon, Megatron fired three successive shots for the Autobot.

Seeing him do so, Optimus lunged at the Decepticon, but it was too late. The shots had been fired and each one hit its mark.

The Star Sabre fell from Bumblebee's grip as he was hit time after time in the chest plates. Each one burying deeper into his armour and destroying the precious spark chamber underneath. He fell, sinking into the cybermatter, his once cheery bright blue optics dimmed before going dark. The light blue liquid lapped at the opening in his chest as the Autobots looked on in shock. Their comrade had died in front of them and they had been helpless to stop it. In contrast, the Decepticons were overjoyed to have eliminated one of their enemies.

Bumblebee, the beloved Autobot scout, was dead.

* * *

Bee! Nooo! ;)

Oh, hey, I've got a poll going on my profile at the moment about the colours of the Transformers in the Shattered Glass universe. I've been reading a few Shattered Glass fics lately and I'm really curious as to whether people like the colours being changed or not. So it'd be great if you could go vote :D


	15. Chapter 15

Hey guys! Um, Last week I mentioned putting a poll on my profile. Well, I only realised later it wasn't showing up... My own stupidity really for not reading everything on the poll page. Sorry about that, but it's up now. So vote away! (After you finish reading the new chapter of course :P)

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Chapter 15

"No," Violetwind sobbed. "No! This can't be happening!"

Turning to Smokescreen, she clung to his waist. Squeezing closed her optics she sobbed. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be true that Bumblebee was dead.

The mech wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hug her in return, finding it hard to believe his own optics.

Arcee dropped to her knees, staring at Bumblebee's body in horror. Too many times, death had come knocking and claimed a Bot close to her. It wasn't fair.

Ratchet also took the loss hard. He had been through much with the scout, seen him develop from the brash young scout into a brave warrior.

Down on the Omega Lock rim, Optimus still stood next to Megatron. Tearing his gaze away from the scout he looked to his murderer. The satisfied gleam in the silver brute's optics and the toothy grin he shot his enemy was enough to set the Autobot leader's anger over the edge.

"NOO!"

He swung a fist, hitting Megatron in the helm. Again and again he hit the silver mech until he had hit the wall and fallen. Transforming his left servo Optimus aimed it at Megatron, the sound of the weapon charging the only noise in the mech's audios.

However, within the Decepticon's reach lay the Dark Star Sabre, knocked away earlier in the fight. He grinned to himself. Snatching it up he gave a war cry and rolled over, slashing his sword as he did so unleashing an energy wave. It hit the Prime in the chest and flung him over the side of the Omega Lock. Amazingly he managed to grab onto part of the lock. The sudden stop jolted his arm, earning a groan from the mech.

As Optimus hung onto the lock's rim by one hand, he feared those might very well be his last moments. His jet-pack had already been damaged by Megatron, and currently unusable. Without it he would fall to his demise.

Even so, as Megatron stepped over, the Dark Star Sabre in his hand, Optimus did not look back with fear but determination. The Decepticon would not have the pleasure of seeing fear in his final moments.

"Prepare to join your scout in the AllSpark," growled Megatron, a gleeful light in his optics.

Yet despite their leader's predicament, smiles of awe were lighting his team's faces. They could hardly believe their optics. The sight had stunned them into absolute silence, even the Decepticons could not nothing except gape at what was happening.

"Vi, look," Smokescreen gently nudged the femme.

Lifting her head from his tear streaked chest plates she looked down to see what it was he wanted. Her sniffles cut off as her optics widened. "No way..."

"Megatrooon!" A youthful voice shouted from behind the mech.

He turned around to look, only to have the Star Sabre speared through his spark. On the other end of the weapon was Bumblebee, his damaged chest reforming before his very optics.

"You took my voice. You will never, rob _anyone._ Of _anything._ Ever again!"

Megatron grunted, lifting the Dark Star Sabre above his head but his strength was failing. The weapon fell from his grip and he dropped to his knees, his optics wide but not seeing.

Above them, on the ship's deck, Starscream collapsed to his hands and knees. One arm reached out toward his fallen leader in an unexpected display of distress, "Lord Megatron! No!"

But it was too late. Megatron's spark was fading, the light in his optics flicked before dying. Screech of metal on metal was heard as his body slid from the Star Sabre. His body fell to Earth, catching alight in the atmosphere.

Leaning down, Bumblebee extended a hand to Optimus, which he took gratefully. With the scout's help he made it back onto the lock's rim and together they climbed up to the _Nemesis_.

Upon the lower deck everyone was in shock, none more so than Starscream.

"I will avenge you, master!" The seeker screamed, clambering to get down.

However, he did not get far. Seeing the futility in such an act at the present moment, Shockwave grabbed hold of his arm. "Starscream, do not be a fool."

The seeker struggled to get free but the mech picked him up. Slung over Shockwave's shoulder he shouted, "Curse you and your logic!"

Behind them raced the vehicons. The cowardly troopers were not about to stay if their superiors were fleeing for the escape pods.

Making it up to the ship, Bumblebee and Optimus were met with the relived and amazed grins of their friends.

"Bumblebee..." muttered Ratchet.

Arcee added in awe, "Your voice..."

"My voice?" he uttered in confusion, "What're you-?" He cut off, hearing it for himself. "My voice!" The scout opened his battle mask to reveal his mouth. "Ratchet! I have my pipes back!"

The medic found himself swept up in a tight hug in Bumblebee's excitement. With a grin he chuckled, "Erhmm, yes! We noticed!"

Letting him go, the mech stepped back. "The cybermatter..."

Ratchet gave a nod of affirmation, "It is the only possible explanation."

"Bee, this is amazing!" Violetwind released Smokescreen to move over and hug the scout. "I can't believe it! You were gone but now you're standing before us, better than ever!"

He grinned in return, "Hope you're not too disappointed."

The femme stepped back shaking her head.

"I just hope your new vocals don't go stealing all the femmes' attention," Smokescreen joked, giving him a light punch to the arm.

Glancing between Smokescreen and Violetwind, Bumblebee chuckled, "I don't think I even could if I wanted."

Smiling, Optimus turned away to open his comm link and report to the others. "Optimus Prime to all units. Megatron is no more."

Back at base, a smile made its way onto Raf's face as the news sunk in. While behind him Agent Fowler jumped for joy with a cheer.

Elsewhere on the ship, Wheeljack yelled out his excitement through the comm, **::**Hoo-ah!**::**

"Wreckers, a job well done securing the bridge," Optimus complemented the team.

**::**It wasn't us, Sir. The credit belongs to the humans,**::** Ultra Magnus told them.

**::**Hoo yeah!**::** added Miko.

Ratchet placed his hands on his hips and smiled. "The Omega Lock is under our control. I propose we put it to good use."

"Agreed, old friend," replied Optimus. "Ultra Magnus, set course for Cybertron."

Taking a few steps away from the group, Bumblebee lifted a hand to his helm. "Hey Raf, if you could tear yourself away from your laptop for two seconds, bridge yourself up here so we could get to Cybertron already."

**::**Wait. Who's that?**::** asked the human agent.

"Guess," Smokescreen said with a sly grin.

Raf sounded surprised yet happy, **::**Bee?**::**

Violetwind smiled, turning her gaze over each of the Bots there: Arcee, Smokescreen, Bumblebee, Optimus and Ratchet. They had done it. They had won. She may have only been with them a short time but she was glad to be a part of this moment.

_Slag, Vi. If this isn't a moment of triumph, I don't know what is._

"Let's head for the bridge," Arcee started to walk off, not even bothering to wait for a reply.

"Last one there has to clean out Starscream's room!" yelled Smokescreen as he ran for the door.

"Not gonna be me!" Bumblebee raced after him.

Violetwind whined as she got left behind, "Not fair!" With a huff the femme ignored the pain and transformed into her vehicle mode, driving after them.

The four of them made it to the bridge; Arcee in last place. However, she held look that could kill, just daring Smokescreen to enforce his ridiculous challenge. By then, Rafael and Agent Fowler had joined them aboard the _Nemesis_ and they headed for Cybertron.

Still in the Omega Lock control room, Ratchet and Optimus stood ready to restore their planet.

The medic turned to him, "Optimus, I uh... Was never able to learn Shockwave's side of the cybermatter equation. This may be all we ever have, and Cybertron is a much larger planet than Earth."

"Then we must launch the cybermatter at Cybertron's very core."

"Into the heart of Primus himself?"

"Indeed," the mech replied with a firm nod. They would restore their planet by restoring its life giver.

Before long Wheeljack announced, "Commander, we've arrived at the Well of AllSparks."

Everyone stood waiting with excited anticipation. Jack, Rafael and Agent Fowler stood on the main console in the bridge. Still wearing the armour, Miko was off to the side. Bumblebee grinned with great enthusiasm as he glanced at Ultra Magnus and Arcee standing either side of him.

Beside Arcee, Violetwind ignored the pain in her body and could not stand still, her weight shifting from pede to pede and door wings quivering. Reaching out she gripped Smokescreen's arm. She was worried it might not work, that there would not be enough cybermatter or that it would not work like they had expected.

Turning to her, Smokescreen offered a reassuring smile, resting his other hand on hers. "It'll work."

_Slag yeah, trust in the science._

Taking a slow intake the femme calmed down, returning the smile. She knew she was getting worked up over nothing. "You're right. It will."

Glad to see that she had calmed down, he gave her a playful shove with his hip.

"Hey," Violetwind muttered, knocked off balance, but was kept upright with his hand on hers. She grinned seeing his cheeky look on his faceplates.

Ultra Magnus glanced over at the pair with a stern look, stripping the smiles from their faces and focusing their attention back on the monumental moment.

On the lower deck, Ratchet touched the Omega Lock's controls and began the firing sequence. A burst of electrical energy flowed through the lock's system and into the pool of cybermatter. Within seconds a beam shot out and straight into the heart of the planet. Life-giving energy flowed straight into Primus himself.

Once the cybermatter was drained, they waited. At first nothing seemed to be happening. Then, slowly but surely, the power flowed through Cybertron. All over the planet's surface it began to light up with a blue glow.

The feeling that flowed through each member of Team Prime was indescribable. The planet they have been fighting to save for so long was finally restored.

_Cybertron... We did it. Vi, we did it! And I don't know of it could have happened without you._

_I'm sure it would._ The femme dipped her head. _You guys didn't need me..._

_Don't be so s-_

Windy cut off they heard Knock Out speak, "Ahh, Such luster."

The Bots turned to stare at him in surprise as he folded his arms.

"What?" he returned casually, "I'm joining the winning team."

Walking up, Miko slammed the fist of the Apex Armour into Knock Out's face. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground. The girl wiped her hands before folding her arms.

"Take him to the brig," ordered Ultra Magnus. "And round up the other Decepticons while you're at it."

Bulkhead went over and easily picked up the vain red mech to take him away while the others prepared to split into teams.

Before they could get far they heard a familiar screech. Turning to face the windows they saw Predaking flying away in his beast form.

Ultra Magnus frowned, not pleased by his escape. "The Predacon."

"I had wondered where he'd gotten too..." Violetwind said as she rubbed the crushed metal on her shoulder.

"Guess we know now. Think he'll cause trouble?" Smokescreen asked, glancing at the others.

"That bucket of bolts will stay away if he knows what's good for him," Wheeljack pressed his fists together.

_After what what happened earlier I don't think he'll be back any time soon._

**::**Violetwind, meet me at Shockwave's lab. You and I have some damage to repair,**::** came Ratchet's voice over a comm.

"Ok, Ratchet. I'll be there soon." Ending the call she gave the group a smile. "You'll have to round up Cons without me."

Arcee rolled her optics with a grin. "Coz I bet you were looking forward to that weren't you?"

"Yeah, so much..." she replied, a coy smile on her lips. Because chasing down vehicons and possibly getting into more fighting was one of her favourite pastimes.

"Maybe we can save you some," joked Smokescreen.

"Do not leave Ratchet waiting," Ultra Magnus interrupted and inclined his head for the door. "The rest of you, get going."

"Yes, sir," Violetwind nodded and started off.

Behind her Bumblebee rallied the other Bots, "Come on guys, party's not over just yet."

~oOo~

Upon reaching the laboratory, Violetwind looked around wringing her hands. The air was still and she keep thinking a Decepticon would pop out at her at any moment.

Pushing away the tightness in her vocalisers she called out, "R-Ratchet?"

_I would have thought he'd beat us here..._

_Me too._

"Ratchet?" she called out again, taking a few steps into the room.

"Violetwind, what took you so long?" he snapped, standing up from behind one of the tables.

Her door wings flared up in fright at the sudden appearance. "Ratchet! I, uh..."

_By Primus,_ muttered Windy, unamused by his accusation. _It's not like we know the place like the back of our hand._

"I, well, I don't know the ship very well..."

He gave a grumble before moving over to the computer console. "The database has been wiped of any information about the cybermatter formula. And, it looks like Shockwave purged the lab of whatever he might have had left."

Stepping up behind him, the femme knew how useful it would have been to have the cybermatter formula. It would have saved them a lot of trouble rebuilding Cybertron's cities. "Guess we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. A lotta spit and elbow grease."

"Yes," he agreed. Turning to face her he asked, "Now how about we take a look at your processor?"

Violetwind took a step back and rubbed at her arm. Avoiding optic contact she replied, "Um, you know, I'm feeling fine now. Maybe I'll just go help the others track down the rest if the vehicons..."

Just as she turned the leave, Ratchet grabbed her wrist. "I don't think so. I will strap you down to a table if I have to."

The femme whined but did not pull away.

"We need to see if something is causing damage. That mental instability could be dangerous. What if you hurt someone?"

His calm words made sense, the suggestion of possibly doing harm of someone caused a horrible feeling to rise up in the pit of her tanks. If she ever hurt one of her friends she did not think she could live with herself. The guilt would be too great.

Closing her optics she sighed in defeat. "Ok Ratchet..." Turning to look at him, "Do what you must."

Leading her over to a berth, he had her lie down. Using the scanner in his arm he waved it over her helm. "I shall have to compare it with your previous ones when we return but from what I can tell so far there may be something interrupting your processor."

Violetwind propped herself up on her elbows. "And it strips my sanity replacing it with a cold fury? What if I just stayed out of dangerous situations? Fighting was usually going on every time it's come on before."

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Ratchet pushed her back against the berth and busied himself with repairing her wounds. "That would not be a cure, rather avoiding the triggers. Even then we cannot predict what may or may not set of off. And if there is a continuous degradation..."

"What do I do then?"

Ratchet did not respond. He had no answers, as much as he wished he did. Nothing like this had ever been done before so there was nothing to compare it to. A human mind merged with a Cybertronian one, everything about it was stepping into the unknown...

_Don't worry, Vi. We'll work this out. Just, give me some time..._

The femme sighed, a feeling of worry running through her circuits. _If it's getting worse..._

_I know..._

~oOo~

After they had rounded up the vehicons that remained on-board, the Autobots headed back to Earth. Once they arrived, immediate preparations were started to pack up what they required from the base. Upon arrival, Ratchet finished work on Violetwind and together they fixed up any injuries the remaining members of the team had sustained.

Among the preparations Ultra Magnus' ship was taken to the _Nemesis_ for transport back to Cybertron. Any supplies that would prove useful were also taken to the warship. However, they left much behind, as the _Nemesis_ was already well equipped.

The next day they were gathered to say their goodbyes. The three human children along with June and Agent Fowler stood off to the side. The Bots were clustered together as Optimus addressed everyone in a final speech on Earth.

"Though our home world is once again capable of supporting life, we have much rebuilding to do. Alas, we will miss our home away from home. And the family we made here," he gave the humans a fond glance.

A feeling of sadness settled over Violetwind as it sunk in that they were really leaving. They were going to leave their friends behind. It just didn't seem real.

_Chin up, girl. Life's full of goodbyes as well as hellos. Everything is always changing. Besides it's not like we'll never see them again._

The femme nodded a smile tugging at her lips. _Hopefully it won't be too long before we visit._

Adjusting his glasses, the youngest human looked up at the Bots. "If Cons are still out there, won't Earth be on their radar?"

Bumblebee smiled, "Raf, if you ever need me, need _us_, for any reason, we're just a space bridge away."

"Besides, we'll be in good hands with you, Jack and Miko continuing to serve Unit E, in a semi- official capacity." Agent Fowler nodded at each of the children.

"Woah! We're agents!" The girl threw her fists up in a cheer.

"Consultants," interjected June, "till you're of age."

Walking over to them, Ratchet rested his hands on his hips, "I trust Unit E doesn't have any rules forbidding the enlistment of rusty old Autobot consultants."

Arcee was shocked, "Ratchet? You of all-"

The mech waved a hand at her dismissively, "Ip, ip, ip. I know where I am needed."

_Would never have expected that._

"Of course, Ratchet," Agent Fowler replied.

After a nod to the man, he turned to Violetwind. "I do hope that you will remain here with me."

The thought was tempting but as she glanced around at the other Bots she knew her answer.

Beside her Smokescreen gave her a sad smile, "I'll miss you if you do. But I know Earth is your home..."

The femme shook her helm. She could not remain on Earthm her spark was tugging her away from there. As much as she would miss this planet and all her friends on it, she would miss hanging out with Smokescreen and the others more.

Turning back to Ratchet she said, "I need to go with them. Earth still is home to me but you can't stay home forever."

The mech grimaced. "Please reconsider. Stay with me and we can find a cure for whatever is plaguing your processor."

"And if we can't?" she shook her head again. "Ratchet, Windy and I will only be bored staying here. I'm sorry but please, don't make us stay..."

"The decision is yours to make, Violetwind. I am certain you will be of use wherever you choose to be."

Violetwind turned to the owner of the deep voice with a smile, "Thank you, Optimus."

The medic remained silent. The only way to get her to stay would be to do so through force but he did not believe Optimus would approve.

Seeing him looking despondent, the femme smiled, "I'll make sure to keep you updated, Ratchet. You'll hear from me so much you'll get sick of me."

"Humph," he grunted, "We'll see."

"Violet?" the young boy walked up, "Will you still be wishing to keep in contact with your parents?"

"Of course! Actually, I was hoping you would continue to help me, Raf. Keep being my middleman?"

The boy grinned, "You got it!"

~oOo~

A short time later they were making the final preparations to leave. A sombre mood had consumed the entire hanger, leaving Violetwind feeling sick as she watched the sad scenes of goodbyes going on around her.

Bumblebee stepped over to where Raf stood on the walkway. He lowered his head muttering, "Raf..."

"I know, Bee. You don't have to say anything..." The boy replied, almost choking on his words as he too turned away his head.

The mech smiled, "I never did."

They looked at one another, sharing a moment of understanding and familiar friendship. One they knew would be the last for some time.

On the other side of the base sat Bulkhead. Walking over, Miko sat down on his foot, curling her knees up to her chest.

Wanting to say something the mech started, "Miko, I guess this is..."

He was not able to finish. Audible sobs came from the girl as tears flowed over her cheeks. Her heart was tearing apart about having to say goodbye to her best friend. Life would be so normal and boring without him in it.

His own spark breaking, Bulkhead reached out a finger to touch her head in comfort. Still crying she clung to his finger in a hug.

Nearby Jack stood on the end of the walkway, Arcee coming over, her gaze averted. The femme did not like goodbyes; too many before had been permanent.

"It's been quite a ride," he commented.

"Keep in touch, Jack." She tried to smile as she glanced up at him, "Don't make me hunt you down."

They both looked at one another sadly, recalling the memories of the first time they met.

Smokescreen approached Violetwind from behind, noticing her watching the other Bots and their human partners. "You sure you don't want to stay?"

She briefly glanced at him before turning to gaze at the floor. "Part of me does..."

_Oh, slag, please don't stay..._ whispered Windy.

The femme huffed in slight amusement. "Then there's someone who really doesn't want to."

"And you're absolutely certain you want to move to Cybertron? To leave all you've known behind?"

With a whine she looked up at him, "Smokescreen... Don't make it harder than it already is..."

"I'm sorry," he apologised. "I just, you know, wanted to make sure you were happy with your decision before it was too late."

She gave him a sad smile, her spark warming at the caring thought. "Thanks, Smokescreen. You're a good friend. I'd hate to be without you."

A grin brightened his features as he joked, "Is that your way of saying you love me?"

Violetwind rolled her optics but felt her faceplates heat up slightly. "Whatever makes you feel better."

Windy giggled in the background.

The rest of the Bots started to gather for departure, Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack having just saluted Agent Fowler and June. The femme nodded in their direction. "Guess we'd better get over there too."

"Yep, looks like it's time," he agreed looking that way himself.

The pair made their way over as the ground bridge opened up. Everyone paused as Optimus approached, the medic standing to the side since he was to remain behind.

"Until we meet again, old friend," the Prime said, extending a hand.

Taking it in his own, Ratchet shook hands with the mech. "Don't let it be too long, Optimus."

As the leader moved away, Violetwind made her way over to the medic, hanging her head. "Ratchet..."

"Violetwind?"

She made a small cry and rushed forward to hug the mech. "I know you wanted me to stay but..."

"I understand," he smiled, reciprocating the gesture.

_Get on the comm, I want to say goodbye too._

Letting go she stepped back and gave him a sad smile. "Windy has something to say."

Opening up a comm link to the base, Violetwind let her inner companion have her say. **::**Thanks for being a good sport, Ratch. We'll let ya know of any developments.**::**

"You'd better," he warned.

**::**Hey, kids. Keep safe. Don't get into too much trouble. You're some of the bravest beings I've ever met, also some of the most accepting.**::**

Violetwind bent down to where the five humans were standing. "You know, she doesn't give out complements often."

**::**Shut up, you!**::**

The femme let out a noise like a small snort in response. Turning her attention back to the humans she told them, "We'll come back to visit soon. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that!" Miko pointed a finger at the femme, her eyes narrowed.

"Hopefully we'll get to visit you sometime too. Should be a nicer trip than the last time we went," Jack grinned, trying to hide his sadness.

"Oh, don't remind me of that. I was so worried," muttered June, leaning a little on Agent Fowler beside her.

"I'll make sure to send over your parents emails, Violet."

"Thanks, Raf," she ruffled his hair. She was going to miss them so much. "I don't think I like goodbyes..."

"Try not to think of it as 'goodbye' but more as, 'I'll see you again soon,'" offered Bumblebee, doing his best to keep his own spirits up.

With a nod, the femme stood up, and joined the others. They gave a last look at those they were leaving behind: Jack, Miko, Raf, June, Agent Fowler and Ratchet. They would be greatly missed. But the time had come and they began to move through the ground bridge. Violetwind waved a farewell before following.

Optimus was the last to move off. Before he entered the vortex he paused to look upon each of those present. He nodded as was his way and continued on, stepping through to restore Cybertron's future.

* * *

So we've reached the end of the series. But don't fear, for it's not yet the end of the story!  
And don't forget to throw in a vote on the poll :)


	16. Chapter 16

Hey all, another chapter! Hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

Chapter 16

The ex-Decepticon warship hovered over the surface of Cybertron. The _Nemesis_' new owners stood around the bridge, their leader stepping up to address them.

"Autobots, you have all fought valiantly. And, though our war may be over, there remains much to be done. However, for today, you may rest. Spend the day as you please. You have earned as much."

"Time for a party!" yelled Wheeljack.

Arcee rubbed her arms, a wistful smile on her faceplates, "I think I'm going to take a long oil bath."

"I'll get some music!" Bulkhead said as he headed for the computer.

"I shall leave you to your pleasures," Optimus nodded to the group and walked down the hallway.

"Ultra Magnus, you going to join our party?" asked Bumblebee.

"Perhaps I sha-" he was cut off as loud rock music blared through the bridge's speakers. Raising his voice over the noise he changed his mind. "Actually I think I might find somewhere quieter."

He too walked off, escaping the loud music.

Violetwind watched him leave, considering following to get away from the audio shattering sound. However, wandering the halls of the warship alone was not high on her to do list and Windy was enjoying the music.

A touch to her arm interrupted her thoughts. Turning around she looked up at Smokescreen in surprise.

"Hey, Vi. Now that we've got some time to ourselves, there's something I want to show you."

"Um, ok," she glanced back at the others as they danced and enjoyed themselves.

"They'll be fine, probably won't even notice we're gone," he said as if reading her mind. Taking a few steps away he waved for her to follow, "Come on."

Curiosity getting the better of her, she followed the mech out of the room. He took her to a computer terminal and opened up a ground bridge.

"Where are we going?" she asked, glancing at the portal.

He gave her a cheeky smile. "It's a surprise." Smokescreen chuckled, leaning on the console. "Doesn't it remind you of our first escape."

The memory flashed though her mind and she nodded with a smile. "It does. I didn't understand anything that was going on. And I was terrified of going through."

"Yeah and I had to grab you and run before the Cons took us captive again."

"It seems like a lifetime ago..."

"It does. But, for the present moment," he stood tall and gestured to the ground bridge with his hand. "Our chariot awaits."

_That's no chariot,_ muttered Windy dryly.

The femme giggled. "Alright. As long as you promise there are no Cons ready to fight on the other side."

"Nope. Been there, done that," his optics sparkled in amusement and mystery. "This is something entirely different."

Smokescreen allowed her to step through first which she did. Reaching the other side she found herself among the ruins of a Cybertronian city. The tall buildings towered over her, light glinting off the rusty metallic surfaces. Although she had been on the planet before, the femme had never been anywhere that would have been as populated as this must have been before the war.

"Where are we?" she wondered aloud, her gaze roaming over the buildings high above her head.

"Iacon," the mech replied, a slight catch in his voice. He remembered the look of the place before the Decepticons had come in and destroyed the place. He may never have seen it in its heyday like some, but it still held a magnificence during the war.

Taking a few steps in front of the femme he looked about, his mind filled with memories of when he was young, and eager about joining the war.

_Slag, this place looked so much better back in the day. Ya know, before they war and the planet became corrupted._

Stepping up beside the mech, Violetwind glanced at him, "You used to work somewhere here, didn't you?"

Turning to her he nodded, "Yep, in the Hall of Records after I completed my elite guard training. I was to protect the master Archivist, Alpha Trion." With a grin he moved off, "Actually, that's what I was going to show you."

_The hall of records, by Primus! This is where I first met Optimus!_

Grinning back she trailed after him. "Lead the way."

_You know my conversation is feeling very one sided,_ huffed Windy. _I__'__m not fond of being the third wheel but especially one who goes unheard! Pleeeease patch me into a comm link._

The femme sighed as they walked, muttering under her breath, "Fine..." Lifting her voice she addressed the mech, "Smoke, just opening up a comm for Windy."

"Ok."

As soon as the communication was open Windy burst out, **::**Slag, about time! Now I know what you're thinking, Vi and I know you don't really hate me. I can actually read your thoughts and emotions remember.**::**

Smokescreen chuckled, while the femme groaned, "How could I ever forget?"

**::**I really don't know but you do seem-**::**

"Here it is. The Hall of Records." interrupted the mech, stopping to gesture at a large building.

Staring up at the once grandiose building, she could tell it had, at one point, been a magnificent sight. In some ways it still was. The hall was many times the size of the structures around it and remained mostly intact on the outside.

"Wow..."

"You like?"

"Yes." Stepping forward she continued to stare at it in awe. Then all at once she turned around to face him with wide excited optics. "Do you think we could go inside?"

A smirk slid onto his faceplates. "I thought you'd never ask."

She turned back to it, hands grasping each other happily. However her smile faded as she looked over at what must have been the entrance. It was barred by a large piece of scrap metal, larger than what they could move by themselves.

"But how will we get through?"

**::**The phase shifter, of course.**::**

His smirk never faltered. Smokescreen lifted his wrist turning on the device located there.

Violetwind smiled, "Of course. You know, that thing has been incredibly useful."

"Shall we?" he offered his hand.

She stared at for a moment, her spark feeling like it would burst as .

**::**Well, go on, take it.**::** prompted her inner companion.

With a nod she reached out to take his hand but her own went straight through it.

This earned a laugh from the mech, bringing a flush to her cheeks. "Here, let me."

Reaching out, Smokescreen slipped his hand into hers, this time without phasing through it. Without another word he led her through the wall of the building and into the main entrance. Inside the Hall a layer of rust covered almost everything, having settled over the various objects and broken walls.

Slipping away from him, Violetwind whispered, almost afraid to disturb the place, "What happened?"

The mech shrugged. "All I know is the Cons were about to break through and I blacked out. Guess they looted the place."

**::**They did a fraggin' thorough job.**::**

Bending down, the femme picked up a thin flat object. It was like a Cybertronian sized tablet only it was shaped like a squashed hexagon. She stared at it, not sure what to make of it.

**::**Ohh, a data pad! I haven't seen one of these in vorns!**::**

Coming up beside her, Smokescreen gently took it, "Here, let me."

Tapping a button on the side the cracked screen lit up asking for a pass code. The mech ran his fingers over the screen which it accepted and revealed its information.

"So these are like your books?"

"Pretty much." He looked up at the high ceiling, lost in his memories of the place. "At the time I could only think about the battle I was missing out on. But now," he turned to her, "I understand more what Alpha Trion was trying to teach me."

"And what was that?"

The mech smirked, "To not be so over confident. Among other things." His optics darkened in sadness. "He was a great guy."

Violetwind reached out to touch him comfortingly but her hand went straight through him. "Oops."

He laughed, switching the phase shifter off. "Gotta be careful of that."

"I think Alpha Trion would be proud of you. You saved Optimus' live and helped restore Cybertron. Not many bots can say that."

"Thanks, it means a lot." He placed the data pad on the ground. "How about we explore some more?"

"Alright."

The pair moved off, skirting around the debris and broken objects scattered around the entrance hall. Going through the ground floor of the building Violetwind came across a door. It was only partially closed and curiosity got the better of her. Grabbing hold of the door she heaved and managed to slide it open enough for her to enter.

Stepping through she glanced around. It was not a large room but it was full of shelves with assorted items over them, including data pads, cleaning supplies, and numerous objects she couldn't identify.

"Vi?" Smokescreen called out, poking his head through the door. "What are you doing in the supply closet?"

Turing around she lifted her clasped hands to her chest. "Do you think Optimus would let me stay here?"

"In the supply closet?" He raised an optic ridge. "Why?"

Violetwind looked at the room around her, "Because it would be nice to live on Cybertron. We'll be starting to fix the place up, right? And... well, I don't feel terribly comfortable on the _Nemesis_..."

The mech grinned, moving over to her. "I understand." He rested a hand on her shoulder, "I'll even help fix it up to be liveable."

Lifting her head she smiled, grateful for his help. "Thanks, Smoke."

Breaking the quiet was a comm link from Optimus. **::**Smokescreen, Violetwind. I require your presence back aboard the _Nemesis_.**::**

With an inward sigh of frustration, the mech lifted a hand to his helm, "Yes, Optimus. Send us a ground bridge."

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment, before their leader's voice asked with a soft tone, **::**How is...?**::**

"The Hall? It's standing."

"Just needs a bit of cleaning up Optimus," the femme added.

A small sigh of relief could be heard on the other end of the line. **::**Sending ground bridge now.**::**

"We'll be right there," Smokescreen replied and ended the link. Turing on the phase shifter he took Violetwind's hand in his own and they headed back to the warship.

~oOo~

Standing in front of Optimus, Violetwind and Smokescreen looked at the Prime in surprise at his last statement.

"We're really going to head off so soon? But we only just go here..." The femme's expression was crestfallen.

The mech however grinned, excitedly dancing on his pedes. "We're going to get to check out a new world! How cool is this?"

"Yes, Violetwind. Do not concern yourself with it too much. We shall be back before long. And, I do not believe you would wish our fellow Autobots to remain there as you were the one who originally wished for their rescue."

"That's true." she replied. Nodding, a grin slowly made its way onto her faceplates, "Alright, Optimus, we're ready to go. I'll have Windy supply Wheeljack with the coordinates. Let's go bring Elita One and the team home!"

~oOo~

With a brief goodbye to the others and quick explanation of their mission, Optimus, Wheeljack, Violetwind and Smokescreen headed off through space. Using Ultra Magnus' ship they flew off to find Elita One and the femmes with her. Using the space bridge it did not take them long to reach the planet and land on the surface.

Planet Talbor, as it was known, was heavily forested with plant life taller than even Optimus. The thin trunks seemed to defy gravity the way they held up the large leaves at the top.

Leaving Wheeljack with the ship, the trio headed off in search of the four femmes they knew to inhabit the planet.

_The base was near the bottom of that mountain,_ directed Windy.

"Ok, we'll head towards the mountain then. Any idea of where they might have gone if they've moved?"

_Hmm, I think there was that potential spot in the valley but it wasn't great. Only really good for something as a last resort. Otherwise I don't know what they might have found in the meantime. I have been gone a while you know._

"Guess we'll just have to hope then..."

After some walking, Windy informed them they were getting closer.

"Good," Smokescreen grumbled, untangling himself from some of he plant life. "I think this stuff hates me."

Glancing back at him, the femme teased, "Or it could like you, and want you to stay with it."

He grunted, "Well then, sorry to disappoint. Not gonna happen."

"I'm surprised you haven't used the phase shifter yet."

"Well I hadn't been expecting the native life to be so clingy," he muttered turning the device on. Smokescreen let out a triumphant huff and rid himself of the last of the vines.

They were beginning to think they may have taken a wrong turn when a light green femme sprang out of nowhere. Leaping forward she shrieked, "VI!" and squeezed Violetwind in a tight hug around her waist, her head barely making it to the femme's chest.

The purple femme had no time to react or even think before the sudden 'attack.' She merely stood there in shock and let the smaller femme hold her.

_Moonracer?_

Out from behind some trees, two more femmes revealed themselves and withdrew their weapons. One was a medium green, and the other silver with blue trim.

_And that's Greenlight and Coriolis._

The silver one moved up first, smirking at the younger green femme still clinging to Violetwind. The trio could easily see she was a flier, and was taller but thinner than Violetwind. Small fins came off her arms and could bee seen sticking up from her back. Two long pieces of plating came from either side of her waist giving her the appearance of a skirt.

"Glad to see you didn't forget about us, Vi," Coriolis said.

The other femme, Greenlight, was coloured with multiple shades of medium green, a lightly stocky appearance about as tall as Violetwind. She also made her way over, taking in the mechs as she did so, "And you brought Optimus Prime." She raised her hand in a salute, "Sir."

He nodded in response and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.

The young femme, Moornracer, had released Violetwind and jumped up and down in front of the mech. "Elita will be so happy to see you, Sir!"

"And may I enquire as to Elita One's whereabouts?" he asked.

The silver flier leaned casually against a tree, "She's just out on patrol. She'll be back soon."

"Don't worry, you won't have to wait long," Moonracer assured them. Bouncing over Smokescreen she moved to throw her arms around him in a hug as well, "So what's your na-"

She let out a shriek as she fell through the mech and landed on he ground, earning light laughter from everyone except Optimus.

Violetwind moved over to help her up, while Smokescreen stepped away and turned off the phase shifter. "That's Smokescreen."

"Sorry about that," he grinned, "forgot it was on."

"Nice to meet you Smokescreen," she chirped dusting herself off.

Stepping forward, Greenlight looked up at Optimus. "You came back to collect us, right? So we can rejoin the war?"

Coriolis rested a hand on the femme, also looking to the mech. "We're eager to continue helping the Autobots. This planet doesn't have much in the way of entertainment."

"We appreciate your valour but it will not be necessary," he told them calmly.

Smokescreen grinned, "Megatron's dead."

"Also Cybertron's been restored," added Violetwind.

The trio were shocked, hardly able to believe their audios. Moonracer was the first to recover, "Woo hoo! We can go home! No more war!"

The young femme wrapped her arms around Violetwind again in her excitement.

Her faceplates flushed with the sudden close contact again. Under hear breath she mumbled, "Does she always do this?"

However, she was not quiet enough to go unheard by the seeker. Coriolis raised an optic ridge at her. "What do you mean? Don't you remember? What is this?" Quickly she pulled, Moonracer away and aimed a blaster at Violetwind. Optics narrowed, the femme growled. "Who are your really? Any of you!"

Violetwind gasped, staring down the barrel of the weapon. Her legs grew weak in fear, her door wings quivering.

_Slag, Coriolis. It's me! Sort of... Gah._

Immediately, Smokescreen jumped forward, grabbing hold of Coriolis' gunned arm to point it away from Violetwind. "We're just who we say we are!"

Bringing out a second blaster, the seeker aimed it at his head, "And why should I trust you? I know Violetwind. We all do. And that's not her."

The femme shrunk back at the harsh gaze.

"See. Our Violetwind wasn't scared of nothing. What are you? Decepticons?"

Windy sighed. _This is turning out to be a great reunion. And I had been so looking forward to it..._

_I'm sorry, Windy..._

_It's not your fault. Cor's just a bit too smart and perhaps a bit too suspicious for her own fragging good._

By now Greenlight and Moonracer also had their weapons out. Smokescreen was glaring back at them, looking ready to fight. "We're Autobots! And we came to take you back home!"

"Decepticon lies!" the seeker shouted back.

"Why you-" the mech was cut off by Optimus.

"Stand down." His order was firm but calm.

The rookie protested, "But-"

"Stand down," Optimus repeated.

With a huff, Smokescreen stepped back but still remained between Violetwind and the other femmes.

"We are not Decepticons," he told the trio, "We are not trying to deceive you nor are we taking you into a trap, as I believe you may suspect."

"Then what about her?" Greenlight gestured at the femme peeking out from behind Smokescreen.

Clearing her vocalisers, Violetwind stepped out a little. "Well, that's because I'm not the same Violetwind who left..."

Moonracer tilted her helm curiously, "Whadya mean, Vi?"

"It's a long story..."

_Yay,_ her inner companion muttered sarcastically, _we get to try and convince more people about what happened._

"If you would take us to your base, we shall explain everything once Elita One arrives," Optimus offered. "We will not fight you."

Coriolis narrowed her optics at the mech suspiciously. She was not sure whether to believe them or not but there was something about him. Something about his calm demeanour even when on the wrong side of a blaster made her want to believe him. "Alright," she transformed her weapons back into hands. "But no funny business. And if you dare hurt anyone of our team, I'll gut you myself."

The femme then turned on her heel and took the lead. With a nod Optimus followed, glad the situation had defused, ending without any energon spilt. He would not have wanted to face Elita One after having engaged in a skirmish with her team members.

Behind him, Moonracer skipped along. The femme had already forgotten the tension and was once again excited to have new Bots there.

Greenlight stood with her blasters still pointed at Smokescreen and Violetwind, waiting for them to go first. With a slight huff, the mech did just that.

Violetwind stuck close to his side. Gripping his arm, she whispered, "That could have gone better."

Glancing down at her, he nodded, "Yeah just a bit. Maybe next time you could have Windy tell her friends to back off."

_Slag, Smokescreen. Your aggression didn't exactly help._

_Windy, stop it. He was just..._ Her optics widened a little with realisation. _Just protecting me..._ Knowing that was willing to fight to protect her from harm, gave Violetwind a warm feeling in her spark.

_Ya don't say._ She inwardly rolled her optics, but was also glad there was someone who would do that for them.

It did not take long to reach the cave Elita One's team was using for a base. The set up was crude, merely having a living space and a storage room off to one side containing energon cubes.

Optimus, Smokescreen and Violetwind stood on one side of the cave while Coriolis, Greenlight and Moonracer were on the other.

Violetwind shifted on her pedes, not sure what to do to alleviate the stand off. "So..." She started, "I hope you guys have been well."

"Not a word," Coriolis warned her team mates.

"Cor, come on," whined Moonracer, "They don't look bad."

"Not a word to them till Elita gets back." The flier glared across at the trio. "She'll know what to do."

* * *

Ok, first off, if you didn't already know this, Elita One, Greenlight and Moonracer are so not mine. They're based off their G1 counterparts with my own twist thrown in. Elita One (although she hasn't shown yet) is like the mother of the group and well respected. Not much was really done with Greenlight in the cannon, the wiki mostly just says she was a scientist, so I've run with that and given her a serious personality. And Moonracer, well, I kinda always saw her as the kid of the group so I hyped that up a little bit for some fun. (I love the random fun charries^^).  
Coriolis is an oc. So mine, no stealing. She was made with a friend in mind although her personality has sort of shifted a little from what I originally intended but I like her tough attitude.  
If you read The Voice Within you may remember that the group of femmes had to more members, Chromia and Firestar. I decided I would give them the route of the comics and have them remain on Cybertron with Grimlock and the Dinobots. So they haven't been found yet. (And won't be during this story, sorries. )


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! Welcome to another chapter.

* * *

Chapter 17

The six Bots stood in silence as they waited for Elita One to arrive. The air was tense as they stared at one another. The silver seeker's gaze was hostile, the blue mech staring back with narrowed optics. Two of the other femme's tried to quietly get them to calm down. The smallest femme smiled warmly at the newcomers, hoping it wouldn't be long before she could speak again. All she wanted to do was ask them questions. The last, the humble Autobot leader, was standing quietly, his calm gaze watching the silent exchange of looks and glances between those around him.

Thankfully it did not take long before the small team's leader arrived. A slim pink Cybertronian car drove through the entrance and immediately began talking.

"I detected a ship. I want you gals to be ready. We're going to go check it out." The femme transformed, "I want you to be prepared for a fight. We don't know if it's.. hostile..." She drifted off as she noticed the three Bots standing by the wall. Yet only one of them truly caught her interest. "Optimus..."

The mech smiled, his spark soaring as his optics rested on her. "Hello, Elita One."

"You... You're here, and... buff?"

"Yes, many things have changed, since we last saw one another. There is much to discuss."

Slowly the pink femme turned her attention to Optimus' two companies. "And Violetwind? You made it back. You brought Optimus Prime here?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

The silver femme folded her arms, "Elita, we're glad you're here."

"Cor, thinks they might be impostors," Greenlight jerked a thumb at the seeker.

"Impostors?" Elita repeated, glancing back at the others with a skeptical gaze.

"We were hoping you'd know what to do with them. I'd be up for a decent interrogation," Coriolis transformed her hand back into a blaster as she glared at the trio.

A growl came from Smokescreen as he took a step forward to shield Violetwind again. But before he could say anything, Optimus stretched out a hand in front of him. The action earned the younger mech's attention and he glanced up at their leader. Catching his warning look, Smokescreen calmed down, but remained where he was.

"I don't believe such a thing should be necessary, Coriolis. Put your weapons away," Elita One commanded. Looking up at Optimus, she gazed into his soft, caring optics and her spark quickened. A smile tugged at her lips, no other mech could make her feel the way he did. "Don't worry gals, they're the real deal."

"Your sure?" asked Greenlight glancing between Elita One and the Bots.

"I'm certain," she moved over to Optimus who was smiling down at her.

Bouncing over, Moonracer looked up at the mech, "So we're really going home?"

"Yep," Smokescreen said, relaxing now that there was not going to be a fight. "Whadya wanna know first?"

"I wanna know what's up with Vi here," Coriolis pointed at the femme with a frown. "What did you mean when you said 'I'm not the same Violetwind who left'? What else could you be? 'Cept maybe a Con."

_Here we go again. Hope they take it better than some of the others first time we told them._

Hesitantly she stepped to address the group. "Well, it all started when the Violetwind you knew crash landed on a inhabited planet called Earth..."

Violetwind quickly relayed her story of how, a human, had come to be in this body she shared with the original owner, Windy. While she had the limelight, Violetwind also filled them in on the current situation on Cybertron. Smokescreen often jumped in to expand upon an event like Megatron's death and Bumblebee's restored voice box. When it was over she glanced at the femmes for their reactions.

"I don't believe it," Coriolis said, her face twisted up in disbelief.

On the other end of the scale, Moonracer ran over to hug her. "Woah, that's like, incredible! So our Vi's in your head and she can talk to you."

"Mhmm," she agreed trying to squirm out of the young femme's grip.

"By any standard means of science that seems impossible," uttered Greenlight in shock.

_And yet here we are._

"Hey, Vi, you forgot to tell them about that neat little trick."

Glancing over at Smokescreen her face took on a confused expression, not understanding what he meant.

The mech prompted her by raising his hand to the side of his helm.

_Comm link._

"Oh." Immediately Violetwind opened a comm link with Smokescreen to allow Windy a part in the conversation.

**::**Hey all. Did you slaggers miss me?**::**

"Violetwind!" Elita One's optics widened, "So it's true. I had been having my doubts but now..."

**::**Violetwind is a name that no longer belongs to me but the girl standing before you. Just call me Windy. And Cor, you better start being nice ya stubborn piece of scrap. I didn't appreciate you pointin' your blaster at us.**::**

Coriolis just stared at the femme, her face blank.

Smokescreen laughed. "The seeker has _stalled._ Someone should do something before she makes a _crash _landing_._"

With a snort Coriolis shot him a dirty look. "Shut up you! If you want to keep your spark, you won't say another word!"

"Cor!" Elita One scolded.

Optimus doing the same, albeit more calmly, "Smokescreen."

The flier huffed while, the mech turned his head away. But, for now, the tension was averted.

**::**Do you think they'll ever get along?**::**

Moonracer waved a hand dismissively, "Sure they will."

Stepping forward, Optimus addressed the femme commander, "Elita One, perhaps I could give you a brief overview of events outside."

Keeping her face neutral, a difficult task given the excitement of her spark, the pink femme nodded, "Of course."

The pair started to leave when Elita One paused to turn back to the group. "Please begin the pack up."

"Yes, Elita."

"Will do!"

"Humph."

The femme narrowed her optics at the stubborn seeker. "Cor..."

"Alright, alright, I'm going," she muttered, moving off to collect what supplies they had.

Elita One grinned and turned back to Optimus. "Let's get going, shall we?"

The pair left and Violetwind turned back to the others, "So what can we do to help?"

~oOo~

Optimus and Elita One walked off into the forest, neither saying anything for a while. Each of them we just glad to be in one another's presence again. Small glances at the other, filled them with childlike glee.

Finally the mech broke the silence. "How have you faired?"

She shrugged, reaching out to run her hand over a plant, "We've survived. There have been some energon deposits on this plant to sustain us. The Decepticons that originally followed us here were taken care of. And I guess you already know that it was their ship that Violetwind took to reach you. The team has been getting bored and of course have been anxious about Chromia and Firestar. We last saw them on the Cybertron. They were separated before lift-off. I don't suppose you saw them while you were there or know of their possible whereabouts?"

"I am afraid I do not." He paused to look at her, a slight smile on his faceplates, "But that is not what I asked you. I wished to know of _your_ well-being, Elita."

She turned to look up at him, tears collecting in her optics, "Oh, Optimus, I've missed you!"

"And I you."

"And Megatron? He's really gone?"

"Indeed."

Turning away, the femme wrapped her arms around herself, "After all he's done..."

Stepping over, Optimus pulled her closer to himself. "There is nothing he can do to you, or anyone else. He has paid the price for his actions. Megatron will never harm you again."

Elita Once leaned into the mech's hold, her mind stirred with memories of a past time. A time when the Decepticon warlord had threatened her life in exchanged for Optimus. He had aimed to stop the Prime from launching the Autobot exodus.

"You should have left me, you know?"

"There was no possibility of leaving you in his clutches. I would never leave Cybertron knowing you were in danger."

Turning around to rest her hands on his chest plates, Elita One looked up into Optimus' cyan optics. "But you did exactly what he wanted."

"Indeed. But, I do not regret my actions. They were in your best interests," he grinned down at her.

The femme smiled back at him. "You always were a bit of a softy. I was glad when you came for me, just like you have now. I've been waiting."

"Of course, Elita. I would never leave you behind. You mean more to me than you can imagine."

"And you to me, Optimus." The femme smirked, "So you ever planning on asking me to be your sparkmate?"

He chuckled at her direct question. "Once Cybertron has been restored further and I have more time to dedicate to my lovely bondmate. Until then... I am sorry, Elita."

Her smile lost some of its joy but she understood, "It's alright, Optimus. The others come first. It's what good leaders do... It won't be long though, will it?"

Optimus shook his helm. "No. There are only few things that require my attention. I am sorry to make you wait. But, after so long, with peace upon us, we shall have much time together."

"I suppose I can wait a little while longer then. For now let's get back to Cybertron," braking free from the embrace she tugged at his arm.

Glad to see her excited he complied and allowed her to lead him back towards the base. "Do you not wish to know what the final tasks are?"

Continuing to walk, Elita One glanced back at him, "Ok, I'll bite. What are they?"

With a smile he answered, "First, I believe a certain scout among my ranks is deserving of a promotion. Second, I must return the AllSpark to Cybertron."

~oOo~

The Autobots packed up what they needed from the cave, which did not amount to much. The femmes had few resources to begin with only what they could salvage from their wreaked ship, and with no way to acquire more, there was no more than a few boxes. They decided to leave the energon stored there in case they returned to the planet in the future. With Cybertron living once again, energon was in plentiful supply and they would not need it.

Greenlight strapped two of the boxes to Coriolis in her alternate mode, a Cybertronian jet. She would fly over the trees and make their traversal of the forest easier without as many loads.

"Do you think you'll miss this place at all, Cor?"

"Light, Really? I won't miss it a bit," she replied as her companion gave the last tug on the vine rope to hold the boxes in place.

"I think I might miss it a little." Greenlight glanced around, "I mean, we had some good times. Better than we did during the war. There was always fighting going on and the loss of some Bot, but here? Here it's just been us and we haven't lost anyone."

"Well except when, Vi left."

"Yeah, but she didn't die and she came back."

"Humph. Sort of. Trapped in her own mind with a foreign creature controlling her body," the seeker muttered bitterly.

"Don't you go blaming h-"

Greenlight was interrupted by Moonracer, breaking in, "Lita wants to know if your ready cause we're going to start walking now."

"Yeah, we're done. I'm about ready to go ahead. How far was it again?"

"Just twenty clicks north-east of here," Smokescreen supplied as he walked over with the two remaining crates.

Next to him was Violetwind, feeling less nervous than before. She smiled at Windy's old team mates. "We've already commed Wheeljack to let him know you're coming. But make sure you don't come in too fast, otherwise he still might mistake you for a Con."

"Pfft, he's the one who better watch out if he fires at me."

"Cor, we need that ship to get out of here. Please don't go shooting it up," Greenlight gave the jet a warning look.

"Alright fine. See you guys there. Try not to take too long." With a final huff she took off over the treetops and out of sight.

"She'll be ok, right?" asked Violetwind.

"Yeah, 'course she will" Moonracer dismissed her concern. "Cor just likes to act tough."

Optimus and Elita One joined the group, the mech asking, "Are you ready to depart?"

"Yep, we're all set, sir!" the young femme answered.

"Alright then, let's get back to Cybertron," Elita One grinned as she and Optimus took the lead.

Following their previous trail they made it back to the ship in less time than it first took to find the team. They arrived to find Coriolis and Wheeljack standing outside the ship talking. But it stopped as soon as the group was noticed, the seeker waving them over.

"'Bout time you got here."

"Glad to see ya found the femmes, Optimus. The ship's ready for take-off when you all get aboard."

"Then let us once again set a course of Cybertron," the leader declared.

A small space trip and one space bridge later, they were back on their home planet. Team Prime and the new arrivals spent some time getting to know each other and swapping stories.

Violetwind enjoyed the time together with the Bots. She could also tell, Windy was happy to have her old friends back, even if two were still absent. There was still hope they were out there somewhere and might someday be reunited with them.

Optimus also shared with them news of a special ceremony to take place the next day. One long overdue. "Bumblebee, for your outstanding services throughout your time under my command, your time has come."

"I'm gonna be a warrior?" his optics glowed with excitement.

"You have shown the desire for such and now that Cybertron has been restored, it is most opportune. It shall take place tomorrow."

There was a chorus of cheers for the black and yellow scout, who simply smiled, too full of emotion to speak.

~oOo~

The next morning the Autobots travelled down to Kaon, Megatron's old capital. It was only fitting to hold Bumblebee's promotion to warrior here of all places. After all, he was the reason the war was over and the Decepticon warlord's body lay at the bottom of the ocean.

The Bots, now numbered at eleven, stood with their backs to a large statue of Megatron. Though the statue would not be there long. Wheeljack had set up a special display for after the ceremony. For now, they watched Optimus and Bumblebee, the young Bot standing in front of them and facing their leader. The Star Saber's tip rested on the ground, the hilt in the tall mech's hands.

Optimus' strong clear voice rang out over the small gathering. "We have endured bitter hardships and countless battles. But at long last our home planet has been restored. We would not be standing on Cybertronian soil, were it not for the valiant efforts of both those assembled here and our absent comrades. Ratchet, who remains on Earth, to safeguard our human friends. And Cliffjumper, who made the ultimate sacrifice."

They shared in a moment of sorrow for the fallen warrior. However, none felt the sting more than Arcee. She lost a partner and a good friend when he was killed.

"But on this day, on the dawn of a new era, we gather to bestow a special honour, one earned, by Bumblebee. Through his bravery and devotion to the cause of peace, long before he rid the universe of the scourge of the Decepticon warmonger.

"In the company of your fellow Autobots, in the presence of our creator Primus, the living core of our planet and, by the authority vested in me by the matrix of leadership," he picked up the saber and once Bumblebee had knelt before him, Optimus tapped it on each of his shoulders. "Bumblebee, arise, a warrior."

"Yay, Bee!"

"Nice work, Bee."

"Warrior, big time!"

"Not bad."

"You did good, Bumblebee."

"Way to go, Bee."

"You've made us all proud."

"Let's get this party started!" Wheeljack turned around and pressed a button on the device in his hand. At once explosions erupted over the statue of Megatron. Pieces fell from the sculpture, crashing to the ground as the warlord's likeness was destroyed.

"Hoo-ah!" cheered the explosives expert and Bulkhead as they bumped chests.

Smokescreen gave the scout-turned-warrior a slap on the back, "Welcome to the club, Bee. Warrior today, who knows? Prime tomorrow?"

"Slow down, Smokey," he raised a hand, "I'm not sure I'd wish a Prime's responsibility on anyone."

Smiling at him, Violetwind agreed, "Me neither.

Breaking into the pleasant moment, Optimus said, "I am sorry to interrupt your celebration..."

"Here is comes," muttered Arcee.

"Primes never party," Bulkhead finished.

However, Elita One knew better. It was not the party that was on his mind.

"But I must take my leave of you."

Walking forward, Ultra Magnus asked, "Sir, may I ask why?"

The mech shared a look with Elita One before turning his attention back the commander. "Though Cybertron is once again able to support life, our planet is currently incapable of generating new lives. Not until I retrieve the well-spring from which all life on Cybertron is born, and ultimately returns. The AllSpark."

Smokescreen looked a little confused, "Ya mean it isn't here?"

"Nor has it been, Smokescreen. Not for thousands of years." Optimus went on to explain, "As the war for Cybertron reached a tipping point and the Decepticon army appeared to be unstoppable, I opted to safe guard the AllSpark from Megatron by covertly sending it to a distant sector of the galaxy. The Matrix of Leadership will enable me to guide us to its present location."

Clenching his hands, Bumblebee said, "What are we waiting for? Let's take the warship and bring it back."

"These remain dangerous times, Bumblebee. We cannot leave Cybertron unsecured. Not with Starscream and Shockwave unaccounted for," the Prime told him.

"Not to mention our stray Predacon," added Ultra Magnus.

"That's why he allowed the rest of you to remain behind while he came to fetch us," Elita One told them.

"Optimus, you haven't spent much time on the planet since we restored it," Violetwind commented, a tilt to her helm.

"No, I have not. But this should be my final reason for leaving. Afterwards I shall return and fully focus on rebuilding our home," the mech said, glancing at the pink femme beside him, finishing in his thoughts, _And building a home with you, my dear._

"So we're just supposed to sit here while you go fetch the AllSpark?" asked a skeptical Coriolis.

"No silly," Moonracer grinned as she elbowed the seeker, "We get to have some fun!"

"That is not entirely so," Optimus dashed her hopes, "Ultra Magnus, you will supervise patrols to find and capture the fugitive Decepticons."

"I would be honoured."

"Bulkhead, you will lead the reconstruction effort. Begin by building a landing field to welcome returning refugees. Wheeljack, I will require your extensive experience navigating deep space."

The Wrecker grinned, hands on his hips, "When do we leave?"

"What about the rest of us?" asked Violetwind feeling a little lost.

"Ultra Magnus and Elita One are in charge. They will take care of you. Do as they ask. I believe each of you shall find appropriate tasks suited to your strengths," Optimus replied with a gentle smile.

"Yes, sir."

"We'll be awaiting your return, Optimus," Elita One held herself back from showing too much emotion at his departure. She wished they did not have to split ways so soon after being reunited.

He turned to head off, "Wheeljack and I shall retrieve the AllSpark and swiftly return."

* * *

Optimus and Elita One are so cute! (And I realised this coincides with Valentines day XD) The conversation they have referencing the past is a bit of stuff I made up where basically, Megatron kidnapped Elita One to stop Optimus from leaving in the Ark (I'm thinking this might fit around in where Optimus was captured early on in Fall of Cybertron, like the reason he was caught). And if you think way back to the end of chapter 1 that's what Optimus was mentioning in his little talk to himself.


	18. Chapter 18

Welcome again! A new chapter awaits!

* * *

Chapter 18

After Optimus left in search of the AllSpark, Ultra Magnus sent Coriolis and Greenlight out scouting as he did the same, taking Smokescreen along with him. Meanwhile Bulkhead got to work on the rebuilding, using some of the vehicons for labour. Not satisfied with staying on the _Nemesis_, Arcee joined him lest any of the vehicons were stupid enough to try anything, though it seemed unlikely. The rest of them stayed with the ship for communication and to keep an optic on their remaining prisoners, including the Decepticon medic, Knock Out.

Banging came from the cell where the prisoners were being kept. The four remaining bots glanced at one another.

Violetwind voiced the one question on their minds, "So what do you think they want?"

"They probably want out. But they should stop trying. Only way for them to get out is by helping Bulkhead to pay off their misdeeds," Elita One frowned.

"I was thinking of just leaving them and seeing how long it goes for," smirking Bumblebee leaned back against the console. "If we're lucky they might spill something about Starscream and Shockwave."

_Can't we just dump 'em somewhere?_

_I don't think that's a good idea. And well, it's not very nice either._

_So? They're Cons!_

_Windy._

_Oh alright, whatever._ Windy huffed. _How about this for an idea: we go down to the med bay and do a head scan to send to Ratchet?_

_Better._ The femme smiled.

_Good. That old fragger did want to keep tabs on us after that..._

_Change._

_Right._

Turning back to the others, Violetwind put on a smile. She didn't want the others to worry about her. "I'm gonna head down to the medical lab. Um, just want to check up on stuff."

"Alright then," nodded Elita One, her optics showing some suspicion. However, unless it was dangerous she wasn't about to pry. "Moon, how about you and I find some stuff we might use for setting up a ground base. We're going to need something planet-side sooner or later."

"Ok!" The young femme happily headed for the door. "Have fun guys!"

Elita looked back at Bumblebee as she left, "Just keep an optic on our Decepticons."

"You got it," a cheerful smile shone from his face.

With a nod the femme left.

Following after, Violetwind waved as they parted ways down the hallway, two headed for supplies and one headed to the medical bay.

In no time the door opened with a hiss and the femme was opening compartments and sifting through draws in the search for a scanner. It didn't take long before Violetwind found one, letting out a triumphant, "Aha! Alright, let's see if we can get this to work."

_Perhaps it might be easier if you lay down._

"Actually, it would be more helpful if you were weren't just in my head so you could really help me with it."

_Then you wouldn't be needing the scan, would you?_

"_Touch__é_."

Lying back on the berth she manoeuvred the device above her helm. Unfamiliar with the device, it took some time for her to get the settings right and aim it correctly. They didn't make scanners to be used on oneself after all. But after a bit of work she had the correct scans to send to Ratchet.

Standing at the console she hoped nobody was checking the outgoing signals as opened up a comm link to Earth. Nobody else needed to know just yet. Ratchet might have come up with solution anyway and there would be no need to worry.

The wait was short, the Autobot medic appearing on screen. Upon seeing her his optics lit up with worry. **::**Violetwind? Is something wrong? Someone hurt?**::**

Smiling she shook her head. "No, Ratchet, everything's fine."

**::**Good.**::** He calmed down, **::**I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon.**::**

"Yes, well I did promise to keep you updated. I'm sending through some scans now. I also wanted to let you know we managed to find Elita One and her team and bring them to Cybertron. So we're now four Bots up. But, no one else has arrived since the signal was sent out."

**::**That is good news. And don't worry, it is only early days yet, Violetwind. More will come.**::**

"Yeah." Smiling again she brought up the other piece of good news, "Even perhaps some new life. Optimus and Wheeljack have gone off to fetch the AllSpark. I guess it's like what births you guys, huh?"

**::**Yes. Cybertron shall soon be returned to its former glory,**::** he grinned.

Windy interrupted their conversation, **::**Slag forget about the planet. What about us? Tell me what you can, Doc.**::**

The mech's optics darkened with anger, **::**Watch what you say! I'm not about to take any of your disrespect!**::**

"Guys, really?"

**::**This is important. Our sanity's at stake, don't you know?**::**

Closing her optics, Violetwind hung her head and sighed, resting her hands against the console. "You know full well I do..."

Windy whined, **::**I'm sorry. I didn't mean-**::**

"I know. Just-" she took a deep breath, "Please... Don't argue..."

Her inner companion sighed in defeat. **::**You know if you didn't mean so slagging much to me, I wouldn't be that easy to sway.**::**

Opening her optics, the femme smiled. "Thank you, Windy." Lifting her head to the screen she asked, "So, _do _you have anything, Ratchet?"

The medic had been watching the encounter with interest. He found it interesting that they were comparable to an old sparkbound couple. However, he kept his opinion to himself.

Clearing his vocalisers he nodded. **::**I do but it's not good. You know how you have two separate consciousnesses?**::**

"Mhmm."

**::**From what I can tell, they're starting to fragment. You are two separate beings and your processor cannot seem to handle that. It's trying to fix it. My best guess is that in order to rectify the problem by merging your consciousnesses. **::**

"Can't you do something to tell it to stop?"

**::**It's not that simple. Your mind is not a mere machine!**::**

Violetwind turned her head away, tears threatening to spill from her optics. Her chest rose and fell steadily as she focused on taking air into her vents.

On the other end of the line the medic leant back and sighed, calming himself before continuing. **::**The process is possibly accelerated when you're under stress, like during the fight with Predaking, which causes you to act irrationally.**::**

**::**So we just have to stay stress free? Gee that's easy.**::**

"There's no need to be sarcastic, Windy," the femme muttered.

**::**Perhaps you should return to Earth. It is most certainly quieter here,**::** suggested Ratchet. **::**And, I could also keep a closer optic on you.**::**

Glancing back at the mech, she smiled as a few tears trickled down her faceplates. "Thanks but no thanks."

**::**Ratch, if- if this really is going to- change us...**::**

"Then we'd rather be here surrounded by what family we have," she finished.

**::**I understand. Keep me posted then. You know I'll do what I can to help.**::**

"Thanks, Ratchet. You're the best." Violetwind was grateful to the mech, he might seem grouchy sometimes but he did care. "Tell the kids I said hi."

**::**I will. Try not too get too worked up over anything. Goodbye, Violetwind.**::**

**::**Bye, Ratch.**::**

"Talk to you again soon. See ya." The femme closed the call and leaned against the computer. She was finding it hard to take the bad news. It's not everyday you get told your brain is practically trying to 'fix' you by pulling your mind apart.

_Let's get back to the others before they come looking for us._

Violetwind nodded. "Alright. Not like there's any reason to stay here any longer."

The femme started to move off when Windy tried to offer some comfort. _Don't worry, Vi. We'll come up with something. I didn't rescue you, just so you could live a few extra months. If there's a way to stop this, I'll find it._

~oOo~

Hearing someone enter the bridge, Bumblebee turned around, greeting them with a smile, "Hey, Vi. Find what you were looking for?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah," she replied, not making optic contact.

"You're just in time. I was about to finally see what the Cons want. Come join me," the mech beckoned her closer, seeming not to have noticed her hesitant answer.

"I donno, Bee..." she remained where she was, "Knock Out hates my guts, or tanks? Pipes? Whatever you guys call them. It probably wouldn't be great if he saw me."

_You cybermouse,_ teased Windy.

"Vi, don't worry. There's nothing he can do to you. Come on." His confident demeanour won her over. and she joined him at the computer screen.

Joining the mech at the computer, she looked up him, door wings twitching, "You sure?"

"Absolutely. Wouldn't have invited you over otherwise," Bumblebee said, calming her fears.

She smiled. "Ok then."

With a nod, he pressed a key and they opened a communication line to the cell. Looking down at the vain red mech, Bumblebee spoke, "Ok, you got my attention. What do you want?"

Knock Out looked up at the screen, not at all happy, his annoyance flaring up a notch higher as he noticed his least favourite Autobot beside the black and yellow mech. Gritting his denta he ignored her for now. There was something he wanted more than revenge.

Letting out a huff, he began his rant, "We're prisoners of war, we have rights! _When_ are we going to have access to an oil bath?"

_Typical Knock Out. Always thinking about his finish._

"Well, when are you going to tell me where I can find your pals?" Bumblebee countered.

The Decepticon sighed, "I told you before. Shockwave had dozens of secret labs hidden across Cybertron. _Top secret._"

_Slag it, Knock Out._

Clearing her vocalisers, Violetwind gained their attention, "Knock Out, please. We're trying to rebuild Cybertron in peace. If you have anything that would help us, please share it."

"I don't know where they are," he grumbled.

"Watch this," Bumblebee whispered to the femme, a twinkle in his optics. Picking up a rotary buffer sitting nearby, he turned back to the Con. "A shame. Your finish is looking pretty drab." He lifted the buffer up where Knock Out could see it and appeared to admire it.

"I don't know, I swear!" The mech yelled, clenching his cuffed hands. He suddenly became quiet. "But, I might have an idea where you might try looking."

"Yes!" Violetwind cheered.

"Where?"

The medic smiled, "Megatron's fortress. Darkmount. There should be a map showing the location of Shockwave's labs in the database. Now please. Do we get any rights?"

"I'll think about it," he replied, a sly grin on his faceplates.

"What?!"

"Bee," Violetwind scolded, "he gave us the information, I think he deserves something."

"Hmm, alright," the mech agreed. "I'll be down shortly with this," he waved the buffer, "and you can stay there without your cuffs. How does that sound?"

~oOo~

Violetwind was lounging around the warship's bridge while Bumblebee went to visit their prisoners. She had been amusing herself by flicking through the database, just seeing what files they had and perhaps see if there was any knowledge she and Windy could use to cure themselves.

The mech had just stepped back into the room when the computer beeped and Smokescreen's voice came through.

**::**Bumblebee, I need an emergency ground bridge. Stat!**::**

He raced forward to the controls. "Coming right up, Smoke."

Violetwind joined him as he pressed a few buttons on the keyboard to locate Smokescreen and open a portal.

"What happened? What's going on?" her vocalisers cracked as she glanced between Bumblebee and the screen.

"Vi, prepare the med bay," he ordered.

That was not the answer she had been hoping for. Hesitating she bit her lip but she nodded, turning to run out the door. If someone was injured, she needed to be ready for when they arrived.

_Slag. This can't be good._

"Just please let them be alright. Please let them be alright," Violetwind mumbled. Dashing into the medical bay she flew about grabbing whatever might be needed: welding supplies, fresh energon, scanners and just about everything else in the lab ended up on the tables from her nervousness.

_Vi, you could probably put away the drills. And Knock Out's spare buffer. I don't think we'll be needing that._

"Right..." she agreed, starting to return the unnecessary object to their places.

All of a sudden Moonracer burst in, startling Violetwind. The femme was followed by Smokescreen and Bumblebee who were holding up Ultra Magnus between them. Lastly came Elita One, coming to stand beside Violetwind.

"The others have been told to get back here immediately. Greenlight has some medical experience, so can help when she gets here," Elita One informed her as the mechs lay Ultra Magnus on a berth.

"What happened?" she asked, pushing down the feeling of anger that threatened to rear its head.

"Predacons," Smokescreen huffed. "Two of them jumped me and Magnus."

"I thought you guys said there was only one?" Moonracer looked between them with confusion.

"That's what we thought," Bumblebee's face was grim.

Walking over, Violetwind's gaze took in the commander's form. He was in terrible shape, dents and scratches everywhere, bright blue energon leaking from deep wounds onto the berth. He was barely alive.

"I'm- I'm not sure I can do this..."

Bumblebee rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do what you can. I'll call Ratchet."

With a silent nod she got to work.

~oOo~

It was not long before Ratchet ground bridged aboard the _Nemesis_ and took over from Violetwind and Greenlight. He'd worked quickly and efficiently to stabilise Ultra Magnus and now the Autobots were gathered in the room to hear his diagnosis.

The orange and white medic glanced over Ultra Magnus' scans with concern. "He is suffering from a multitude of internal injuries. Most quiet severe."

"You'll be able to fix him, won't you?" worry shone from Violetwind's optics.

"I will do my best."

Behind them, Arcee turned to her companions, "So anyone care to explain what two more Predacons are doing on Cybertron?"

"I thought Optimus said new life wasn't possible without the AllSpark," replied Bulkhead.

Greenlight shook her helm, "It's not."

"Then where did those two come from? Huh?" Coriolis threw her own anger to the mix.

Shaking his own head, Bumblebee offered an explaination, "I'm no authority but something tells me cloning old bones doesn't constitute 'new life.'"

"Shockwave's been playing in his lab since the war, why stop now?" Bulkhead muttered.

Leaning on the wall away from the others, Smokescreen finally added his input. "Doesn't matter where those beasts came from." His optics darkened as he stepped forward and clenched his servos. "We gotta take 'em down."

"Woah there. Don't be too hasty, Smokescreen," Elita One tried to calm him. "Vengeance won't solve anything."

"She's right. If Shockwave's back in business, there could be more of them. A lot more," Bumblebee frowned.

With no one having the answers, Bulkhead suggested what he considered the next best thing, "We need to call Optimus."

"Really, Bulk?" Arcee uttered, waving an arm in the air, "And interrupt his quest to _save_ the future of our race on Cybertron."

Silence fell over the Bots, a feeling of discomfort shared among them.

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" came an angry shout.

Violetwind had been listening to the conversation, feeling so helpless as they talked. The icy fury that had been hiding under the surface the moment Ultra Magnus was brought in was about to reach a tipping point; fear cracking her resolve to keep it down.

The unexpected yell caused all optics to land on her. Their faces shone with surprise, knowing she was usually more quiet than that. One however, showed more than just surprise. Ratchet had a sinking feeling in his tanks, knowing what might be coming.

Stepping forward he held his hands out. "Violetwind, it's ok. We'll figure something out."

"Will we? Will we really?" she yelled back, anger flashing from her optics.

"Getting angry about it now won't help anything," grumbled Coriolis.

"Hey, Vi? You ok?" Moonracer asked moving over to her side to touch her arm.

"I'm fine," the femme growled, yanking her arm away.

Seeing the situation start to deteriorate Bumblebee tried to help defuse the tension. "Violet, we'll do something about them. Trust me. Just, not this instant."

Momentarily putting aside his own feelings of anger, Smokescreen stepped through the crowd over to the femme. The wild look in her optics had him worried. "Vi, no one wants them taken care of more than me. It's gonna be ok." He rested his hands on her shoulders, and gazed into her optics. "We'll come up with something."

The femme grit her denta and lifted a hand to remove his own but she paused. With her hand on his arm ready to shove him away she stopped, the anger on her face passing. She released a slow vent and dropped her head. "You're right. I'm sorry..."

Smokescreen let out a sigh of relief as she returned to normal. However, he was concerned about what had caused her sudden change. Glancing over at Ratchet he hoped the medic would have some answers.

Catching the questioning gaze, Ratchet decided that the others needed to know. "Violetwind, Greenlight, remain here with the patient. The rest of you out!"

"Ok, Ratchet."

"Yes, Sir."

He waved his arms to shoo the rest of the Bots out, letting out his usual grumbles as he did so. Once they were all out in the hallway he joined them, closing the door behind him.

"Alright, Ratchet, what's going on?" Arcee stared at him with her arms folded and optic ridge raised.

The medic let out a sigh. "Violetwind and Windy's split mind is causing some... Complications."

"Complications, Doc?"

"Their fragmented mind is causing problems for her processor. From what I can gather its like she's infected and it's trying to fix it. It's like it's fighting with itself."

Moonracer's usually bright face was clouded with worry. "She's going to be alright, isn't she?"

The medic hesitated, avoiding their gazes.

Setting aside the sick feeling in his tanks, Smokescreen said, "Doc, you can tell us."

Looking back up at them, the pain shone from his faceplates, "I don't know... All I have been able to determine is that it's been slowly getting worse and that stress doesn't help. If she gets too upset, like someone being attacked, it triggers an 'episode.' During such she cannot control her actions."

"So we just have to keep her calm and away from trouble?" Elita One asked.

"Doesn't seem too hard," commented Bulkhead.

"Perhaps harder than you think," Ratchet glanced at the door.

"Can't we just separate them?" Coriolis grumbled, standing off to the side, her arms folded. Her insensitive tone earned a few glares.

"No. It would be too risky, if next to impossible. We could lose one or both of them," Ratchet rubbed the back of his neck. "We have to think of another solution."

"Keep at it, Ratchet. We know you'll rescue our pair," encouraged Bumblebee.

The mech grunted, not so sure but did not admit it.

Taking charge, Elita One changed the topic, "Alright then. Ratchet you keep working on our patients. Coriolis, Moonracer, you remain on the _Nemesis_. I'll go with the rest of you to investigate the Predacons."

"What?! No way, I'm coming with you!" The seeker protested.

"No arguments, Cor. Remain behind," she ordered.

Coriolis groaned, biting back her vicious remarks. However, she was unable to keep the displeasure from her optics.

"Let's get going, guys. We've got no time to waste," Bumblebee waved for them to follow as he strode off, not even waiting for a reply.

Watching them leave, Ratchet lifted a hand to his helm, "Primus help us all..."

* * *

And so we find out a few juicy bits of info in there. :3 How will things pan out? I guess you'll just have to wait and see...


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another chapter as we creep closer and closer to the final moments. Moments of this story anyway :P  
So thank you to all my readers and sticking with it this far. :)

* * *

Chapter 19

Once the others had left, Ratchet sent Violetwind off with Coriolis and Moonracer. After having been on the brink of another meltdown he was not about to have her around Ultra Magnus any longer. The possible stress of being around the injured mech could set her off again, not something anyone wanted. Instead he kept Greenlight, as his assistant because she had some medical experience.

So the three femmes retreated to the bridge to wait for news about scouting group's misson.

Sitting on the raised centre area with her legs hanging off it, Moonracer talked with Violetwind, wanting to know all about Earth. "Are the natives really that small?"

Facing a console on the level below Violetwind nodded, not taking her opitcs off the screen. "Yep. Even you'd be considered tall against them."

"Oh Primus, that would be so strange! I'm so used to looking up at everybody! To look down would be so different!"

Leaning against a console on the other side of the room, Coriolis rolled her optics, taking no interest in their conversation. She grumbled under her breath about having to look after new sparks.

Glancing towards the seeker, Violetwind couldn't keep her mind on the reply she was writing to her parents nor on her conversation with the younger femme. Moonracer continued chatting away and asking more questions, not seeming to mind that she'd been tuned out.

_What's with Coriolis? I thought she was your friend. She doesn't seem to act like it..._

_I donno._

_I feel like she doesn't like me. There's just something about the way she looks at me._

_Cor's just not good at making friends. I'm sure it's nothing._

"Cybertron to Vi. Vi, did you hear me?" The young femme waved a hand in front of her optics, braking her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she shook her helm and turned back to her companion who giggled.

"Looked like you were off in another world! Weren't thinking about a mech, were you?" The femme's optics danced playfully.

"Uh, what? No. Just, talking with Windy..." Violetwind rubbed her neck, avoiding optic contact.

"Ooh, what were you talking about?" the light green femme leaned closer.

"Oh, um, nothing much..."

Moonracer was about to press further when Greenlight walked in. "Thought I'd find you guys here. Just wanted to let you know that Ultra Magnus is doing better. He should be fine, but for now he's still unconscious."

"Yay!" the small femme raised her arms in a cheer.

A weight lifted from Violetwind's chest and she smiled. "That's good news. But, you know, you could have just commed us. You didn't have to come all this way."

"I know," the femme rested her hands on her hips and smiled, "just felt it would be better in person."

"Well that's just_ prime_. I'm going for a fly," Coriolis waved an arm and headed for the door.

Greenlight's smile disappeared. "Cor, you're supposed to stay here. We have to remain with the ship lest those Predacons or the rogue Decepticons try and attack."

"You really think they'd dare? It would be stupid. Whatever, say I'm going on patrol then," the seeker continued on her way, leaving the trio behind.

"Is she always like this?" Violetwind asked.

"Nah. Cor's usually great."

"She often goes for flights when something's bothering her," added Greenlight with a shrug.

The purple femme turned her gaze to the floor, wringing her hands. "Is... Is it me?"

The other two shared a glance, Moonracer violently shaking her head.

With a sigh, the green femme stepped closer. It wasn't in her nature to lie. Like science, life was about facts and truth. "It's not you per say. Cor, well, she-"

"She's just getting used to all these new team mates!" the youngest burst out as she jumped up.

"Moon," the femme scolded.

She flinched, dipping her helm.

Groaning Greenlight looked back at Violetwind. "There's no nice way to say this but... Cor sort of blames you that her friend isn't the one here."

_But I _am_ here!_

"But... She's not gone just- um, a little disconnected to the world..."

The femme shrugged. "That's just it isn't it."

"She doesn't like that you practically locked away our Vi. She blames you for taking her away..." Moonraced was more quiet that the others had ever seen her.

Violetwind was crushed. "She blames _me...?_"

Nods were her only response.

_Vi, comm in._

With a slight nod, she opened a link to the ship's communication so the other two could hear her.

**::**But it _wasn't_ Vi's fault. _I_ was the one who chose to do it. If it was anyone's it was mine. I was the one who almost killed her. I tried to save her life. Can't Cor see that?**::**

The small femme shook her head, "Nope."

"All she sees is that you're not here like you should be."

"And... I'm in the way..." Violetwind choked on the words.

**::**Slag it, Cor,**::** grumbled Windy. She hated it when someone hurt her permanent companion. It was like someone had attacked part of herself.

"It's ok, Vi. I'm sure she'll get over it," Moonracer wrapped her arms around the femme in a hug.

"Yeah, don't worry about Cor. Once she realises that you're not such a bad sort and that our Vi's still around, she'll warm up to you."

"I guess..."

**::**Oh, she's going to. I'm gonna have a slagging talk with that femme!**::**

"You go, Wind!" the light green femme grinned.

Even Greenlight smiled. "I'm sure if anyone can get through to her you can."

~oOo~

They soon received word that the other Autobots had made contact with Predaking but had gotten no information about his brethren. With nothing new on the Predacons Bumblebee was taking the group to Darkmount to check the database. If Knock Out was right, they would discover a map showing the locations of Shockwave's secret laboratories.

Violetwind then excused herself from the bridge and retreated to the upper deck of the _Nemesis_. It was here that she waited for Coriolis' return.

_As much as Cor needs to be talked to I wish it could wait._

_Don't want to face her?_

_It's not that. It's cause I'm trying to work on our _problem.

_You mean our mind destroying itself cause there's two of us?_

_Yep. If I can sort through our processor and find the source if the problem, I should be able to come up with a code to fix the slagging thing._

_Good luck._

_Thanks. I'll need it. This isn't exactly my area of expertise._

It wasn't more than thirty minutes before the seeker returned, flying in and transforming. Landing on the deck, she was met by an unhappy Violetwind.

"Coriolis, we need to talk."

"And why would we need to do that?"

The femme swallowed her emotions as best she could in an effort to stay calm. "Because you've been brushing me off. I- I know you don't like me. But I didn't chose to end up like this." She pointed at her chest, "Windy-"

"Stop right there. I don't need to listen to your sap story. You already told us how you got here."

She stood, mouth agape, not sure how to answer. Despite all the time she'd had to think about what to say, Coriolis' blunt nature had thrown her off completely, everything she had intened to say vanished from her mind.

"You just gonna stand there or you gonna say something? If you're gonna stand there, I'm gonna leave." With no response, she shrugged and started to walk off.

"Are... are you always this rude?"

The flier paused, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk. "I've been taking lessons."

_Alright, that's it! Vi, get me in a comm link with her!_

With a nod, Violetwind tried to open a communication with the femme but she didn't accept it.

Turning to look at her, Coriolis raised an optic ridge. "Why should I answer? You're standing right there?"

Swallowing her uncertainty she threatened as best she could. "Cause if you don't, I'll connect to the ship's communication system and let everyone else listen in on our conversation."

The seeker narrowed her optics, "And why would I care?"

"Because then everyone will know just how you treat your old friends! Lousy!"

"Hey you've got no right-"

"Then accept the comm and talk to her!" Violetwind cut her off.

The two femmes glared at one another, neither one looking like she would back down. After a few tense moments, Coriolis broke the stare-down and sighed. "Alright, whatever."

Now able to communicate, Windy piped up, **::**You fragging fool! What's gotten into you! Stop with the slag towards Vi! She did nothing to end in this position! _I_ was the one who subjected this to her. Stop fragging blaming her. I'm the one who deserves you anger. But you've got no right to treat her like scrap.**::**

"That's just it, isn't it? _You're_ the one that should be here! Not this- this _parasite!_"

Violetwind stumbled back with a gasp at the insult.

**::**Oh no you slagging didn't!**:: **

"Oh yes, I slagging did! And you know she is! She's poisoning your mind! Vi, you could die because of that _thing__!_" Coriolis pointed at the purple femme.

Tears welled up in Violetwind's optics not sure how to respond. No one else had considered her such before. Once they had come to terms with the truth, they had been welcoming. Not one had thought less of her because of it. Until now.

Windy's anger grew as her companion got more upset. The ex-human, had become a part of her and she was rather protective of her feelings. **::**How dare you, Cor?! Vi is no parasite! And she's no _thing_ either. Humans are just like us, Cor! They might be small and organic but I have seen courage in them against insurmountable odds! Watched them help out our kind and risking their own lives in ways some Autobots would never dare to! And while Vi might not be the most confident, most battle hardened being out there, getting frightened in fights and can't even kill a Decepticon-**::**

"_Thanks so much..._"

**::**-she _is_ my best friend. And you know what? After all she's been through, I think she's the most courageous person I've ever met. Despite _everything,_ after what I did to her, taking her from her body and stealing her memories, she _still_ wants to help us out. She was willing to leave everything she knew, leave her _home_ to help us rebuild ours! And if you can't accept her, Cor, you can just leave now.**::**

Coriolis stared in shock at her. The tongue lashing was unlike any she had ever received, and she had received quite a few.

On the other hand, Violetwind was feeling better. She smiled, "Thank you..."

**::**It's ok, Vi. I know you always feel like a burden but trust me, you're not. I first thought you were but not any more.**::**

"No!" shouted the seeker, slamming fist into the femme's helm. She had approached quicker than either Windy or Violetwind had expected and attacked.

Thrown off by the hit, Violetwind teetered unsteadily on her pedes. But before she could recover Coriolis hit her again, and she stepped back from the force. Raising a hand to where she was hit, the femme pulled it back to see blue energon staining her fingers.

**::**Cor! What do you slagging think you're doing!**::**

"I can't believe you! You actually _like_ the parasite!" she screamed hitting Violetwind's stomachplates. This time she fell to the ground, clutching her middle. Coriolis was not about to stop there, she went on to kick at the fallen femme.

**::**Cor! Stop!**::**

The seeker clicked off the comm link. "I've heard enough from you. My old friend is gone. She died in that crash."

_Vi, you gotta fight back._

_She's trying to kill me isn't she?!_ Violetwind shielded her helm with her arms as the wild femme continued her assault.

_The slagging femme's gone crazy!_

_I noticed!_

_Alright listen closely. You're gonna fold up your door wings and roll away and stand up. Then get out a sword in one hand and a blaster in the other. You need to fight back if we're going to get through this._

Violetwind let out a whimper but prepared herself for an opening. It soon came as Coriolis landed a kick to her leg and was winding up for another strike. While she did so, the femme quickly rolled away and jumped to her pedes. Her door wings flared as she got out her blaster in her left hand and sword in her right, prepared to defend herself.

"You really think you can take on _me_? I've trained for vorns in battle. And you? You've barely been in your body for a sliver of that time," the seeker sneered. Bringing out her own blaster she fired at the femme forcing her to jump to the side.

Lifting her weapon, she shot back, missing but coming close enough to startle her opponent. "I may not have the experience you do but I'm partnered with someone who does." At Windy's instruction she moved closer, striking Coriolis on the helm with the flat side of her blade. "And we make a pretty good team."

Steadying herself the silver femme narrowed her optics. "So that's how it's going to be is it." She let out a wordless yell and charged.

Fear ran through Violetwind. _I think may have just made it worse._

_Vi... Duck!_

~oOo~

Elsewhere on the ship, five Autobots tumbled out of the ground bridge. With groans they picked themselves up, ultimately thankful of their landing despite its hardness. "Cutting it a bit close there, Ratchet," muttered Arcee as she rubbed at her backstruts.

"Better than landing in the smelting pits," Smokescreen countered, stretching his limbs.

"By the AllSpark, what happened?" Ratchet approached the group, glancing over them with concern.

Bulkhead grunted. "Unicron."

"Unicron?!" The medic repeated in shock.

"Where are the others? We can discuss it once everyone's here," Elita One winced as she rubbed a hand over her elbow.

Looking around, Smokescreen wondered where Violetwind was. She was usually there to greet them when they got back. Lifting a hand to his helm, he stepped away from the others and opened a comm link. "Hey, Vi, you weren't there to greet us." The mech chuckled, "We even got to copy your trick of falling into a ground bridge."

A crash was heard on the other end of the line, like metal slamming into metal.

The smile dropped from Smokescreen's face, replaced with concern. "Vi, what's going on?"

**::**Smoke... Help...**::** she croaked.

Fear struck his spark and he ran out the door. "Where are you?"

**::**On the upper deck. Come quick.**::**

"Don't worry. I'll-" he broke off as the link dropped. Frowning, the mech picked up his pace. "I'll be right there, Vi."

~oOo~

Back on the upper deck Violetwind cried out in pain. The seeker had just slammed a fist into the side of her head, damaging her head fin and severing communications. She gripped the arm around her throat, holding her against the wall.

"Coriolis... please," she gasped, "Think about... what... you're doing..."

_Yeah, pleading... Cause that's always worked before..._ Windy muttered angrily, although it wasn't directed at Violetwind.

"Don't you slagging tell me what to do!"

The femme grunted as she received another hit to the head. "The others... are... coming..."

"Then I guess I'd better do something now."

She shivered at the cold gleam in Coliolis' optics. Yet, before she could plead again the seeker grabbed her and, with surprising strength for her thin frame, dragged the purple femme towards the edge of the ship.

Violetwind struggled but it only slowed her down a little. Her gaze locked onto the edge, optics wide as it got closer. Realising the crazed femme's plan she whimpered, "Please... Don't."

"It's just a little fall. Won't hurt a bit. But the stop at the end might not be so pleasant," the seeker glanced back at her with a smirk.

"No!" she gave a strong yank, freeing herself from Coriolis' grip and crashed to the ground.

Before the seeker could reach down and grab her again a shot was fired, hitting her shoulder. Violetwind stared at the fresh wound on her attacker, not caused by her own hand.

The two looked in the direction it came from. Smokescreen stood, optics narrowed in a cold glare at the seeker, his blaster pointed the femme. "Step away from her, Coriolis. That last shot was just a warning. Next one's aimed at your spark."

"Smoke!" The purple femme cried in relief.

_'Bout time he showed up._

"Can't you see! Don't you _know_? She killed my best friend!"

"Coriolis, stop. This is madness."

Arcee, Bumblebee, Elita One, Bulkhead and Ratchet arrived, all looking on the scene with confusion. They did not understand why Smokescreen had his blaster pointed at Coriolis or why the femme was standing over an injured Violetwind.

"What's going on?" demanded Elita One stepping forward.

"Coriolis was attacking, Vi," stated Smokescreen, his gaze never leaving the silver femme.

"Cor?" The femme commander looked over at her with disappointed optics, begging for it to not be true.

Not caring any longer, the seeker yelled back, "So what if I was? That creature killed our Violetwind! It's a freak! A mixed up being! It doesn't deserve to even be here! Ratchet said it was going mad, so I was just going to do us all a favour by getting rid of it before it could kill us!"

A growl came from Smokescreen, as he stepped closer, "Don't you dare talk about her that way!"

"Violet's a part of our team no matter what she is!" Arcee added.

Bulkhead also called out, "You don't know her like we do."

"Violetwind, Windy, _both_ of them, are femmes we've come to think of as family and couldn't do without," Bumblebee said.

"And, we'll do anything in our power to solve her problem and keep her with us," Ratchet added.

"So back off, Coriolis," Smokescreen threatened, the whine of his blaster charging up showing the seriousness of his words.

A vent of pent up emotions left Violetwind as she looked over the team with a smile. Happy tears trickled from her optics. They truly cared about her. The warmth of the kind words made the pain of Coriolis' attacks, physical and psychology, fade away.

_Would you look at that fragging bunch. They are some of the best Bots I've ever met. Slag, I love them._ Happiness rolled of her.

_Windy, didn't think you ever got emotional like that._

_Eh, I have my moments._

"Cor, stand down," ordered Elita One, returning their attention back to the serious matter at hand.

Seeing that everyone was against her, Coriolis sighed letting her shoulders sag. "Fine..." She raised her arms and backed away from Violetwind.

Immediately Smokescreen rushed over to help the femme up, the glare was gone from his face, replaced by worry. "Are you alright? Did she do much damage? Why didn't you call someone?"

"I'm fine," she replied not looking him in the optic. "I didn't exactly think it would escalate to a fight..."

She watched as Elita One lead Coriolis away like a mother scolding their disobedient child and her responding by arguing like a rebellious teenager.

"I'm starting to think that all flying Cybertronians have issues..." Violetwind muttered staring after the seeker.

Smokescreen made a snorting like noise and smirked, "You might be right there. None I've met seem too stable."

"Looks like I've got another patient to fix,"muttered Ratchet as the and the others joined the pair.

"Sorry, Ratchet. I can't seem to stay out of fights wherever I go..."

"That one wasn't your fault, Violet. She just had a few screws loose," Arcee jerked a thumb in the direction Coriolis left.

"Good thing we got back when we did then. We sure haven't had it easy recently. First Predacons, then Unicron, now this," Bulkhead shook his helm.

Violetwind's head perked up. "Unicron?"

"We have a few things to discuss from our trip to Darkmount." Bumblebee started to guide the group back inside. "You see, Megatron's no longer dead..."

~oOo~

Once the Bots had filled Violetwind on just who Unicron was and how he formed the Earth's core, they explained what had happened at Darkmount. Megatron was alive and possessed by Unicron, both of whom they had thought were defeated. It was not looking good for the Autobots.

Finished with their explanations the group discussed what what to do next.

Arcee was one of the more vocal Bots. "How is this happening? I mean, we put out a call inviting refugees back to Cybertron and Unicron's the first in line."

"Not to mention those Predacons," Bulkhead added. "What have we come home to?"

"What are we supposed to call him, huh? Megacron? Unitron?" Smokescreen rambled unhelpfully.

Violetwind shook her head at the mech, "Smoke..."

"Really?" Arcee shot him an annoyed look, "That's your biggest issue right now?"

He sighed, "Right, right. Alright, so what's the game plan?"

Without saying anything himself Bumblebee walked over to the computer, leaving the others still talking.

"While Unicron may now inhabit a mortal form, he is still a god and thus, cannot be defeated by customary means," Ratchet stated, making their troubles seem all the more hopeless.

"Surely there must be a way though," Greenlight murmured, processor already at work to come to terms with the risen chaos bringer. There had to be some way to stop him.

At the console, Bumblebee tried to make contact with their leader. "Optimus, Wheeljack. This is Bumblebee. We have an urgent situation."

Silence was his only response prompting him to try again, "Optimus, can you hear me? Come in, please. Wheeljack do you read?"

There was yet more silence.

"Nothing," he mech hung his head in defeat.

Walking over to join him, Arcee smiled a little, "You have your voice back, now is not the time to go radio silent." Pressing the communication on herself, she spoke, "Optimus, in the event that you can hear us; Unicron has found his way back to Cybertron. Repeat. The Chaos Bringing is here, on our soil in possession of Megatron's body."

Joining the femme, Elita One added, "We could really use your help, Optimus. He means to bring trouble."

Finished with the call the two turned back to the group.

"What now? I mean, besides hoping Optimus got the message," asked Bulkhead.

"We figure out why Unicron's here," Arcee stated.

Bumblebee nodded, "And what he wants."

"I don't suppose he just wants some friends?" Everyone turned to raise an optic ridge at Moonracer, who shrugged with a guilty grin, "What? It was just a suggestion."

"I believe he has far more sinister intentions, Moon," Elita One folded her arms across her chestplates, a small grin of amusement playing on her lips.

"Like what?" wondered Violetwind.

Ratchet was grave, "To destroy the spark of his arch enemy... Primus."

"But that's the core of our planet," Smokescreen blurted out in distress.

Rubbing her arm, Arcee's voice was lace with distress, "It isn't fair. How many more times do we have to save a world? Have to fight for the survival of our home?"

"Regrettably the struggle between creation and destruction is an eternal one, and the battle lines which separate the two run through the very core of Cybertron. Good and evil; order and chaos; one victorious, one vanquished. Each forming the core of their own separate worlds, Cybertron and Earth. And now, the darkness has followed us, all the way home." Ratchet merely added to the sombre mood of the room with his monologue.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not about to give up without a fight. We've come so close, now's not the time to give up," Elita One tried to encourage the Bots.

"I'm not! I'm ready to help," Moonracer bounced on the spot.

"She's right. We can't take this lying down," agreed Bumblebee. "We'll stop Unicron with all that we have. Our lives if necessary."

"Let's try not to do that if at all possible though," Elita One smiled at him. "But I am impressed by your devotion, Bumblebee."

Knowing of the trouble Unicron was likely to bestow upon their planet and on the lives of her friends, Violetwind could not stop the growing irritation inside.

_He can't slaggin take our planet. We can't lose it again! We fragging can't!_

_I know. This can't seriously be happening. Not after everyone has been through to restore Cybertron. It's not fair._

_As if things weren't slagging complicated enough right now for us!_

The tension and stress of the inevitable threat wore on the pair. Neither one was able to keep a clear head, their corrupted processor grinding against itself stirring up her emotions until it reached a tipping point.

"NO!"

* * *

Well, Vi's "I didn't exactly think it would escalate to a fight." Is actually a pretty good representation of how I feel. The idea of the scene was just to have them talk, have Cor throw a punch but basically walk away still upset. Um, she kinda went crazy instead... Took things a little personally I believe... Just proves you never can quiet tell what your characters will do.  
Also cliffhanger ending much, hehe.


	20. Chapter 20

Hi all!

Thanks Yoduggy! In answer to your question (because I can't reply and others might be interested too) about Vi not going crazy when Coriolis attacked her, well, it's because the madness mostly comes up in times of stress where others are involved is connected to her desire to protect those she cares about. When it was just her that didn't really come up. Plus she's about to... well, you'll see...

* * *

Chapter 20

"NO! I'll take the rotten mongrel myself!" Violetwind yelled.

Everyone turned to her in surprise. No one had expected the femme to react in such a manner. She was usually so quiet.

Sensing that she might be slipping or possibly even have slipped into one of her wild moments, Ratchet stepped over. Keeping an even tone he tried to calm her down. "Violetwind, we need not confront Unicron head on. Please, slow down. Now is not the time to get upset over it."

She glared back at him. "And when _would_ be the right time?"

"Vi, it's ok. Just-" Smokescreen was cut off as she turned to snap at him.

"Don't start with me! I won't hear it! I won't let Unicron destroy all that we've built up! I won't let him hurt my friends!" A wild look shone from the femme's optics. The uncontrollable rage clouding her judgement. "You can't stop me!"

Smokescreen reached out to rest a hand on her, to try and get her to calm down and see reason. But before he could touch her, she grabbed his wrist, glaring up at him.

"Don't you dare." The threat came out as a whisper as she bent back his hand causing the mech some pain.

A small cry left him, the mech stunned by her aggressiveness.

"Violet, perhaps you need some time alone," suggested Elita One.

"Yeah, alone with Unicron," she hissed.

"That's not what I meant."

"Hey, Vi, how about we go see if this ship has some secret hiding places," chirped Moonracer, trying to help distract the femme.

"No."

"Violetwind, now might be a good time to have another scan," said Ratchet, arm out to lead her away.

A low rumble came from Violetwind. "I do not need a scan!"

In a flash she lifted her free arm, transformed it and fired at the mech. The shot hit his shoulder and threw him to the ground.

"Vi!"

"What do you think you're doing!" yelled Arcee.

A cold gaze met her. "Whatever I bloody well please, Arcee."

"That's it. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, take Violetwind down to a holding cell," ordered Elita One. She'd had enough of this; it was way getting out of hand.

"Vi, we don't want to hurt you," Bulkhead said as they moved closer.

"We're doing this for everyone's safety, including your own," Bumblebee added.

She eyed them both off, a smirk slipping onto her face plates. The femme was no longer in control of her own actions or thoughts. Not even Windy was able to comprehend what was happening, let alone try to calm her down.

"Of course," she muttered. Yet, she did not give them the chance to get any closer. Still holding onto Smokescreen's wrist she span around to toss him at the large green mech.

While they crashed to the floor, she faced Bumblebee with a sly grin. Her right hand shifted into a sword, which she lifted to look down the blade. "Lovely little weapon. Small compared to most bots but just as deadly."

"Vi, this isn't you," Bumblebee remained calm. "We're going to try to help you."

"Yes, I'm sure you are. Help me like some little science project. Help me like-" she broke off noticing his optics glance at something behind her.

The femme started to turn around when Moonracer dived over and grabbed her ankles. At the same moment Arcee jumped at her, arm around her neck and forcing her to the ground. With a jarring crash she fell face first to the ground.

But Violetwind was not about to be taken care of that easily.

Rolling over she elbowed Arcee in the stomach plates, loosening her grip. The roll also had the added effect of disorienting the femme at her ankles. Freeing a pede she kicked Moonracer in the helm. Free from her surprise attackers she jumped up, swords out and ready to take on more.

Over in the corner, Coriolis rolled her optics. "See, isn't this what I said. She's gone mad and turned on us." She took a step forward clenching a fist. "You should have let me take care of her when I had the chance!"

"Cor, back off! That's not how we do things," barked Elita One. "Ratchet! Grab the sedative."

The medic nodded, running off to the lab, clutching at his damaged shoulder.

Smokescreen and Bulkhead had picked themselves up and moved forward. Together with Bumblebee they surrounded the femme.

The blue mech's voice was pained, "Vi, we don't want to hurt you..."

"Then this is going to be a bit one sided," Violetwind feigned disappointment.

Not waiting for them to attack her, the femme jumped forward striking out at Bumblebee. She slashed at his helm but he blocked each attack.

Behind her, Bulkhead came forward grabbing her arm. Her gaze whipped around to give him a glare that would rival Megatron's. With a quick movement she slide the blade on her free arm over his fingers.

The mech cried out in pain, instantly releasing her.

Bumblebee wrapped an arm around her neck. Returning her arms to hands she took hold of him, and leant forward, flipped him onto his back, a heavy thud accompanying his landing.

Leaving him there she turned to face Smokescreen, a pleased gleam in her optics as she unsheathed her weapons again.

"Vi, please calm down. You're fighting your own team mates," he pleaded with her.

"Ha! I need no team. I fight alone," she sneered. Leaping forward she swung a sword at his helm. The mech was a fraction too slow in dodging and it caught the side of his face. A gash from the side of his face just below optic level ran diagonally upward to finish near his centre helm spike.

The mech stumbled backward, lifting a hand to his face. Pulling his hand away his optics widened. Coating his fingers was the bright blue glow of energon.

"Vi..."

A moment of clarity hit the femme as her harsh expression fell. Horror shone on her face, realising what she'd done. Then as quickly as it came, it was gone; replaced by her madness once again. She smirked, "You want some more?"

Just after she said it, Arcee swiped the femme's legs out from under her. Violetwind fell on her back, door wings bent awkwardly under her. The rest of the bots were quick to pounce on her. Bulkhead grabbed her legs while Smokescreen and Bumblebee each pinned down an arm.

The femme struggled against their grip, arms trying to fly about with surprising strength. It took all their weight to hold her down.

Smokescreen could feel his spark breaking as he looked down at her wild optics. He could hardly recognise her. Her optics were harsh and cruel, nothing like her usual warm gaze. Yet there had been the flicker of horror after she struck him. It gave him hope that the real Violetwind was still in there somewhere.

Just as the bots feared she might break loose, Ratchet re-entered with a syringe in hand. Quickly joining them, he knelt down beside Bumblebee. Finding the gap in her armour at the elbow, he inserted the point of the needle into her energon vein.

"Shouldn't be long now," he muttered.

Slowly her struggles became less and less. She fought against the drowsiness but it was a losing battle. Even in her wild state of rage she had to succumb to the drug. In final protest she let out a whine, falling into unconsciousness.

The Bots all relaxed, letting out a vent of relief. Though a tension remained in the air.

Moonracer moved forward, wringing her hands. "Is she going to be ok, Ratchet?"

"We haven't lost her completely have we?" Bumblebee looked sadly down at the sleeping femme.

"I certainly hope not," he replied.

"Guess that was the madness you were talking about," Arcee raised an optic ridge, her arms folded.

"Yes..."

Elita One rested a hand on the kneeling medic's shoulder. "Just do what you can. Perhaps anchor her to the berth, just as a precaution. We don't know what she'll be like when she wakes. All we can do is hope."

The mech nodded, "Bulkhead, help me take her to the med bay."

~oOo~

Violetwind was taken to the medical bay and strapped to a berth beside Ultra Magnus so Ratchet could keep an optic on the both of them. For now she was still unconscious, sleeping off the drug.

The medic sighed as he glanced at her. He felt responsible for this, for not having done something sooner. Maybe if he had things wouldn't have turned out like this.

"Ratchet, Ultra Magnus' vitals are improving," Greenlight broke the silence, standing off to the side.

"Good." He glanced at the commander, "You will be back on your struts in good time."

As he said it Bumblebee entered. "Exactly how long is good time? Because with Optimus missing in action we could really use Ultra Magnus' council."

The medic turned to the young mech, whereas Greenlight did not even bother to acknowledge him, just continuing to monitor the patients on the monitor.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Ratchet knew that what he said could be crucial, "Bumblebee, we have each been witness to those among us who have risen above their station time and again; Wreckers, scouts, even field medics. The Chaos Bringer is at our doorstep and now, more than ever before, we cannot afford to wait for salvation."

"We'll launch an attack on Darkmount, provided Unicron's still there."

Considering their problem, Ratchet raised a hand to his chin. He let out a small 'hmm' and turned back to his computer. "Or, first attempt to locate him, in the event he is not."

"What are you saying, Ratchet?" the younger bot tried to peer over his shoulder.

"Hey guys! Just wondering how things were doing!" Moonracer's cheery voice announced her presence.

The Bots all glanced over at the femme, Greenlight sighing. "How can you be so happy at a time like this?"

She just grinned. "Cause it's a drag to be serious all the time."

"Don't touch anything," Ratchet ordered, heading out of the room. "But keep an optic on them."

Bumblebee quickly followed, wondering how the medic was planning on tracking down their enemy.

Also curious Greenlight followed, pausing at the door. "Seriously, don't touch anything."

"Ok," Moonracer waved. "Don't worry about me."

The femme rolled her optics with a grin, "Yeah, maybe one day."

Left on her own, the young femme wandered over to the two berths. Resting a hand on each berth she glanced between them.

"Would you guys appreciate a story? I'm sure you would. If you can at all still hear me that is. Well anyway, it goes like this..." She went on to tell them a tale of adventure and romance. It was the only one she knew but she loved having the chance to tell it.

Halfway through Violetwind began to stir, cutting the femme off. Before she even opened her optics she let out a moan and tried to left a hand to her aching helm. However, her arm encountered resistance. Her optics popped open in alarm to see that she was bound to the berth. In a panic she struggled against her restraints, spark racing as she feared that something terrible had happened and she'd been captured.

"Woah, Vi, calm down. It's ok."

The femme paused to glance up at Moonracer. "What... What's going on?"

She smiled, resting a hand on the restrained femme's arm. "Your in the med bay. Say hi to Ultra Magnus, your room mate." She nodded over at the still unconscious mech before continuing, "Do you remember anything about earlier?"

Letting out a vent she lay back against the berth and closed her optics. "We... We were um..."

_We were talking over the arrival of Unicron,_ offered Windy.

"Right, we were talking about Unicron's arrival on Cybertron."

"Anything else?" Moonracer prompted.

"Um..."

_Oh slag..._

"By the AllSpark... I attacked everyone..." Tears trickled down her face as she realised what she'd done, feeling sick with guilt. "I... I hurt my friends..."

"Vi, don't cry. It's alright. No one's seriously injured. Just a few scratches," she tried to reassure the femme.

"But it happened. I turned on them. That's just what Coriolis was going on about!" Violetwind continued to sob.

_Slag._ Cursed Windy. _Slag, slag, slag! There's a cure I know there is. I'm not about to let this take over us without a fight! I just need more time._

_I'm not sure how much more we have..._

_Slag._

"Moon? Are the others upset with me?" she looked at the femme.

The younger bot shook her helm. "Nah. Ratchet already explained, so nobody blames you. Don't stress over it."

"But what if I'd killed someone? I couldn't live with myself. I don't know of I can even face anyone," she banged her head against the berth in frustration. "I mean I'm lying here tied up cause I could be dangerous!"

"You could say that again." The pair looked to the door where Coriolis was leaning against the frame. Walking in, the seeker came to stand on the opposite side of the berth to Moonracer. "Don't forget, I _tried_ to prevent this."

The young femme frowned. "Cor, you're not supposed to be here."

"Oh, I know. Just wanted to check in on our _patient,_" she grinned down at Violetwind tapping the plating on her chest above her spark.

The bound femme shuddered from her menacing tone, fidgeting against the touch. If Coriolis wanted to kill her, she would be an easy target, unable to fight back.

"Cor, stop it!" Moonracer slapped her hand away.

"Ok, ok," she chuckled. "She's all tied up now so there's no need to kill her. She's not going to hurt anyone else." Walking off she paused at the door to glance back with a sly grin, "All I have to do is wait. Her own mind will do it for me."

They could hear pede steps echo through the hallway as she left.

Turning back to Violetwind the light green femme made an effort to smile. "She's usually really nice. Protective of the team."

Letting out a vent, she leant back, turning her face away. "She has right to be upset with me. I just tried to take out her family. I'm a monster..."

"Vi, you're no monster," snapped Moonracer. "You'll be made better in no time. I'm sure of it!"

"I sure hope so..." she muttered, "I sure hope so..."

~oOo~

Ratchet's idea to use the warship's own systems to detect Megatron had been a success. They had Unicron's location. However, a mass of dark energon was also detected; an undead army. It was surmised that the Chaos Bringer had resurrected them to attack Cybertron's core through the Well of AllSparks. The Autobots would do anything and everything in their power to stop them.

~oOo~

The two femmes were quietly chatting about any subject they could think of in order to keep Violetwind's mind off her predicament. Moonracer did her best to keep things cheery and upbeat, which was her speciality.

All of a sudden Ratchet burst through the door, Greenlight on his tail. The femmes glanced over at the pair, wondering what their hurry was.

"Greenlight, prep them for transportation," ordered the medic.

"What's going on?" asked Moonracer, dodging out of the green femme's way.

Collecting what he needed, the mech replied, "We've located Unicron and he's amassed an army of Predacons fuelled by dark energon."

"Everyone's going to go and stop him from destroying Primus," finished Greenlight.

"You mean you're really thinking of taking him on?!" Violetwind cried out in alarm.

"Ah, good you're awake," he muttered, already starting to move Ultra Magnus out. "Greenlight."

The femme nodded, taking Violetwind's berth and following him. Behind her Moonracer almost jogged to keep up.

"Ratchet," the bound femme whined.

Glancing over his shoulder at her he explained, "While everyone is taking the ship to fight, I'll be remaining with you and Ultra Magnus."

"So I'm going to fight too?"

"Yes, Moon. We need all the bots we can get," Greenlight grumbled through gritted denta, though it was not in anger at the young Autobot. She was upset at Unicron for wanting to destroy their newly restored planet.

Violetwind bit her lip. If Unicron was threatening to destroy the core of Cybertron, she did not want to just lie there. She wanted to help. Battle might not be her speciality but the femme was willing to do anything for her robotic family. It might make it up to them for her earlier attack in a fit of madness.

"Please, Ratchet. Let me go too. I can help!"

"No," came his stern reply. "I will not let you go out there and enter into another wild state of mind. One you might not recover from. I'm not about to risk your, or anyone else's life."

"But-"

"No, Violetwind. This is not up for discussion."

The femme sighed, leaning back against the berth.

_If he won't let us, then we'll bust out. I'm not about to sit this out either._

_Right, but how? _

Windy smirked. _I have just the way. When the Doc's not looking use your sword to twist and stab at the bonds._

Violetwind tilted her head to glance at the blue bands anchoring her to the berth. _And that'll work? You think I can transform it? _

_Should do. Being smaller has its advantages. Once the other two are gone, get to work. Now quiet. If we want any chance of surviving the next solar cycle after the battle, I need to finish this code._

_Ok..._ she lay back again, watching the lights pass by overhead as they moved through the hallway.

The _Nemesis_ had landed, allowing Ratchet and his patients to be left behind. As soon as Greenlight and Moonracer had said their goodbyes, Violetwind glanced at the medic. He was busy making sure Ultra Magnus was alright, leaving her unsupervised.

As quietly as she could, the femme transformed her servo to her sword. Sawing the sharp edge against the restraint, it soon shorted out, setting her arm free.

Violetwind smiled, _Nice work, Windy._

This time she transformed her arm into a blaster. Charging it up, only a little so as not to make as much noise, she shot off her remaining restraints. Within seconds she was free and none too soon. The ship was already preparing to take off.

Leaping off the berth she ran for the still open door. With the _Nemesis_ lifting off the ground, and with it her entrance point, Violetwind jumped for the opening, only just clinging onto it with both hands.

On the ground, Ratchet had just turned around to find that she was missing. Glancing over at the ship he watched as she pulled herself onto it.

"Violetwind!" he yelled, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going to help!" she yelled back over the noise of the ship.

The mech lifted a hand to his head to open a comm link, only to remember he had not fixed her damaged helm fin.

By now she was too far away to hear anything he shouted, only waving goodbye to the mech.

Dropping his head he sighed. "_Scrap_." Turning back to Ultra Magnus he muttered, "Primus only knows what we're gonna do with that femme..."

* * *

Things are getting serious! Oh noes, what's going to happen?!  
I have to admit I kinda liked the part where she went crazy. Gave me a chance to do something out of the ordinary.


	21. Chapter 21

And we're back again! I give you the next chapter *bows out*

* * *

Chapter 21

Violetwind carefully made her way through the _Nemesis_. She didn't want the others to know of her presence until they were in the thick of battle and weren't going to do anything about it.

It was possible that Rachet had already alerted the others to her escape, but it only meant the others would be looking for her. She just had to be more careful in order to make sure she wouldn't be found. Even if they knew she was aboard, before they could do anything, they had to find her first.

Peering around the corner of the grey wall, the femme scoped out the hallway. Once again it was clear and she let out a sigh of relief. Walking forward she kept to the walls, glancing about, her audios alert for any noise.

_Vi, I think I have it._

"The cure?" she whispered, pausing in the middle of hallway.

_Yes. We need to get to a computer terminal. I'll tell you what to type and hopefully Ratchet can use it to fix us._

"If you already know it, why can't you use it to fix us now?"

_No, I slagging can't! It needs to be downloaded, something that can only be done when we're unconscious. Something only an experienced medic can do._

"Ok... It's safe though, right?

_Slag it, Vi! Nothing about our mind is safe! Everything we do is untested and never should have been done!_

She was quiet a moment. "Do you... Do you regret your decision to rescue me?"

Windy sighed, _Maybe. At first. But only 'cause if I knew what was going to happen, I would have prepared better, instead of blindly jumping in. But I grew to like you and know it was worth it. I wouldn't have swapped doing it for anything in the universe. _

Smiling Violetwind nodded. "Me either. Even if it's to be for this short time, I wouldn't change it. I've met some incredible people. I wouldn't want it to be any different."

_Let's hope this thing I've prepared works, so I doesn't have to end._

"I guess we'd best find that computer then. There should be one around here somewhere..."

Passed the next corner held the set up they were looking for. Rushing up to the terminal, the femme punched a few keys to bring up a file to store the cleansing code Windy had created.

"Alright, now you're sure this will work?"

_It's not like we have much of a choice. I don't see anyone coming up with anything better._

"Right. Feed it to me."

Her fingers flew over the Cybertronian keyboard as Windy explained what to type in. It took a some time to complete but it was soon done, Violetwind saving it to the warship's systems.

"I sure hope Ratchet can make sense of this later," the femme muttered.

_Me too. We'll be fragged of he can't but he's a good medic. I trust that if anyone can do it, he can._

With a nod, Violetwind moved off. "So we'll be ok then?"

_You should be fine. You just might need a bit of rest._

"Windy, I didn't ask about me. I asked about _us._"

_Well..._ she wished she could duck the question.

"What is it?" Violetwind asked more firmly than she intended.

_If it works... There's the possibility that I might not survive. Not as an actual conscious entity anyway..._

"Windy!" Tear sprang up in her optics again. "No. This can't be happening. It can't be. There has to be another way."

_But there isn't. Not with the little time we have left. We don't have enough time to find any other way. Being tipped over the edge just once more might result in us going offline for good... Better that we risk my life than for that to happen and take yours as well. Not to mention we risk killing anyone else nearby if we go crazy again._

"But to lose you..." she sobbed, still stumbling forward.

Windy tried to give her feeling of comfort, a sort of mental hug. _You'll be fine. The other Bots will take care of you. Besides, you're stronger than you think. Never forget that._

Choking back another sob, Violetwind wrapped her arms around herself. "I'll never forget you..."

_Just remember that I'll never really be that far away. I'm right here in your spark. If you'll think of me like that I'll never truly be gone._

"Windy..." she muttered but before she could continue she rounded the corner to come across an unexpected sight that caused her to halt in her tracks.

_What the slag?_

Partially enclosed in the wall was Smokescreen. His head, hands and a knee we're poking out but the rest of him was stuck firmly, surrounded by the wall. Surprised to see him like that she could only stare.

The silence was broken when the mech noticed her. "Vi!" he grinned, "Ratchet told us you'd gotten aboard."

Walking over she reached out a hand to grasp what was sticking out of his arm. "Smoke... How did this happen?"

Frowning his gaze turned to the ground. "Starscream came and busted out his buddies. Knock Out took my phase shifter. Guess leaving me like this is some kind of payback..."

_If the moment wasn't so serious right now I'd laugh. Actually, I might do that anyway. Not sure how much longer I'll have to do it. _Windy burst into a fit of giggles.

Ignoring her inner friend, Violetwind kneeled down in front of the mech. Her gaze followed the wound on his helm, the one caused by her own blade. Touching his helm near the cut, her vocalisers choked up.

"Vi, don't worry about it," he smiled.

"I-" The femme choked thinking about what might have been. Regaining control she whispered, "I could have killed you..."

"But you didn't."

"I'm so sorry, Smokescreen..."

"It's ok. Really. I'm fine. The others could be in trouble right now though. Starscream was headed for the bridge. He's got the immobilizer."

_Slag. Not my immobilizer._

"I'll go see what I can do but they might be expecting me."

_But then again Starscream may be the usual dumb-aft he is and not even have noticed._

"Alright," Violetwind stood, "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

The mech smirked. "I could hang around here all day."

His carefree attitude lent her some peace. "I'll get you out of there."

"I know," Smokescreen said.

She smiled and headed off down the hall but not before calling out, "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

Making her way through the ship, Violetwind arrived at the bridge. From behind the door she could hear blaster fire indicating that a fight had broken out.

Throwing caution to the wind she burst in, weapons drawn. But before she could get off a single shot, the fight was over. She just caught sight of Knock Out hitting Starscream over the head with the immobilizer, shattering the weapon and knocking out the Decepticon.

Resting a hand on his hip, the red medic grinned at Bumblebee. "_Now_ will you believe I'm joining the winning team?"

"Knock Out," the mech stared at him in disbelief, "We needed that!"

"Wait," he looked at the broken piece that remained in his hand, "It really was the immobilizer?"

"Yes!"

_He slagging broke my immobilizer!_

_I don't think now is the time to get upset over it,_ Violetwind replied as she transformed her arms back into hands and walked into the room.

Elita One was the first to spot her. Frowning she chided the femme, "Violetwind! What do you think you were doing running away from Ratchet like that? You were supposed to remain behind with him and Ultra Magnus. And most importantly, remain out of trouble."

Lowering her gaze, she rubbed a pede on he floor, "I just wanted to help..." Lifting her helm to look at the femme, she grew more confident. "I'm not incapacitated so I'm not about to lie around and let Cybertron be destroyed again. Wi-" Violetwind caught herself before mentioning Windy in Knock Out's presence, "We've done so much to restore it and I want to keep being a part of that."

The room was quiet all waiting on the commanding femme's response. Elita One sighed. After the meltdown the purple femme had suffered earlier,endangering the rest of them, she could not risk it happening again. Next time someone could be more seriously injured. She decided that Violetwind could be sent to the medical bay where she would remain for the direction of the battle.

Yet before she could reply, someone else spoke up. "I say she stays." Everyone turned to Arcee who shrugged her shoulders. "We need everyone we can get. And if she's willing, I say let her stay."

"It's not like we have time to drop her back with Ratchet," added Bumblebee, purposefully not mentioning the ground bridge.

"He's right," Bulkhead agreed.

Moonracer hopped up and down. "Oh please, Lita. Come on. Please."

Greenlight joined in, "Logically we do need everyone. And somehow I do not believe she would remain in place if she were put elsewhere aboard the ship."

The femme in question looked up at the commander with hopeful optics.

_Come on Elita,_ Windy willed her to let them stay.

Elita One sighed. Each of them did have a point. "Alright," she relented, "Violetwind you may stay. But remain in check of your emotions."

_Can do!_

Grinning she nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"So where's Smokescreen?"

~oOo~

Fetching the mech from the wall and returning his favoured phase shifter, Arcee, Smokescreen, Knock Out, and Violetwind took their new prisoner back to a cell. Starscream was conscious again, kneeling on the floor of his new room; his unhappy pout the result of his latest failure. He groaned as he hung his head in shame.

The four of them just smiled in triumph at his pitiful state. Closing the door they walked away, Knock Out wiping his hands in a gesture of getting rid of the filth that was the Decepticon seeker.

From behind the closed door they could hear Starscream cry out, "Fine. I hope Unicron destroys you first!"

Windy snorted, _Yeah whatever, fly boy._

Arcee glanced at the red mech, "Why'd you do it, Knock Out? Why'd you turn on Starscream?"

Tuning her audios toward him, Violetwind was curious as well. She would never have expected to actually be walking the halls of the _Nemesis_ with him. If anyone had said she would do so she certainly wouldn't have believed them.

"Even if I'd helped him seize this ship he would have probably just fired me out of the first airlock," he replied. "Oh. And he's _rude_."

Smiling Violetwind said, "Well you won't find that kind of company here, Knock Out."

"Only as long as you don't betray our trust," Smokescreen warned.

"Mwah?" he replied innocently.

Rolling her eyes, Arcee snorted but didn't say anything.

They didn't get a chance to say anything more as they walked into the bridge, Smokescreen calling out, "We there yet?"

"Right on schedule," Bulkhead replied, standing at the controls.

"And so is Unicron," Bumblebee pointed out the army of terracons beneath them.

All of a sudden the army below took flight.

Seeing the undead Predacons coming their way, Knock Out's optics widened, "Maybe Starscream had the right idea..."

"You're not gonna let a few beasties frighten you, are ya Knock Out?" joked Violetwind.

Just then one hit the window near where they were standing. Both of them jumped in fright as it opened its mouth to let out a shrill call, revealing glowing purple lines of dark energon in its throat.

The femme let out a squeal while the mech gave a yell and scrambled backwards.

"Ahh! Zombicon! Zombicon!" Knock Out screamed, trying to get away but tripping over his own pedes in the process.

Bumblebee and Smokescreen were quick to jump in front of the pair, weapons at the ready. However, before they had the chance to attack, a stream a fire hit it, knocking the beast off the ship.

Hoping for the return of their leader, Elita One asked, "Is it Optimus?"

"Predaking," Bulkhead corrected.

"Oh Primus! You means those big old beasties are actually helping us?" Moonracer clapped her hands together. "This is great!"

Smokescreen grinned, folding his arms, "Predacon allies. You called it, Bee. And to think Optimus almost passed down the matrix to me."

A second passed before Bumblebee and Violetwind looked at him in surprise, the mech uttering, "Wait, what?"

"When was this?" asked the femme, moving to stand beside him.

"Yeah, I said it. But right place, right time, doesn't mean right Bot. I know that now. In a way I'm glad. I'd rather have the big guy here with us than trying to lead myself."

"You gave it up when you saved Optimus' life, didn't you?" Violetwind said.

He nodded a sad smile on his face.

_Slag. Respect..._ Windy uttered in surprise and awe.

"You did good, Smoke," the black mech patted his back.

Their conversation was cut short as their enemies attack damaged the ship. The engines lost power and the _Nemesis_ started to go down.

"Brace for impact," yelled Bulkhead, gripping the main console to stay upright.

"This is just great," grumbled Coriolis, bracing herself against the wall.

Everyone else also prepared themselves for the impact. Unfortunately it wasn't enough. The warship hit the ground, jolting them all out of place. It scraped along the ground, the Omega Lock structure destroyed under the weight of the ship. It screeched to a stop just before the edge of the Well of AllSparks. Any closer and it would have fallen in.

After it came to a halt, the Autobots groaned, suffering from the crash landing.

The motherly call of Elita One rang out, "Is everyone alright?"

First to pick himself up, Knock Out wiped the back of his hand to reply, "Nothing a little car removal wax won't fix."

"Is your finish all you think about?" muttered Arcee, slowly rising to her pedes.

"No, sometimes he thinks about what tools he's going to us to keep it buffed," joked Smokescreen as he sat up.

"Good to see you've still got you're sense of humour."

"You're just jealous yours isn't as nice," huffed Knock Out.

_What are they? A bunch of kids?_

Violetwind chuckled, forgetting about the bump of the landing. "Don't get too attached to it, Knock Out. I've ruined it once and I'll do it again if I have to."

_Not you too..._

The mech gasped. "You wouldn't dare."

"Guys," Bulkhead interrupted, pointing outside at the approaching army.

"Quit the funny business and get your heads on straight," growled Coriolis.

Moonracer frowned. "Tall, dark and scary is getting closer..."

Exiting the ship, the nine Autobots and one ex-Decepticon gathered under the overhang of the front of the _Nemesis_. Dropping from the sky, the three Predacons transformed and landed with heavy thuds behind the group. They all turned to glance at the new arrivals. Violetwind, for one, was intimidated by their larger stature and hostile looks.

In the distance Unicron's army took flight, and they turned back to them. The masses of undead Predacons lunging forward at the order of their puppeteer.

Clenching a fist, Bumblebee declared, "We're the last line of defence."

"I would recommend leaving that to those more suited for the task," said Predaking. Nodding at each of his Predacons, he barked, "Skylynx. Darksteel. Allow nothing to enter the well."

Transforming, the trio leapt over the Bots and ran forward to take on the dark energon driven army.

The Predacons fought fiercely against their enemies but ultimately they were overpowered by their sheer number. The terracons swept them up and carried them over the edge of the well.

The Autobots and Decepticon peered over the edge, shocked by the quick loss. The last of the terracons quickly disappeared from sight.

"Well, that was short lived," grumbled Coriolis.

"Really? This is how it ends?" Bulkhead looked over at his companions.

Bumblebee narrowed his optics, turning back to Megatron's possessed body. "We're not losing our planet. Not without taking Unicron with it."

"Then what are doing standing around here!" the seeker yelled. Jumping up she transformed, flying towards the dark lord.

"Cor, get back here!" Elita One called after her, but the femme didn't listen. "Scrap."

_She's gonna get herself killed, stubborn idiot._

Running forward with the rest of the group, Violetwind smirked, _Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same if you could. _

_Yeah, well, I fragging suppose so._

Ahead, Coriolis had already engaged with Unicron. The seeker was darting in and out, using her alternate mode's guns to shoot at the possessed mech. Yet even giving all she had, the Chaos Bringer suffered no damage.

The enraged Unicron let flames engulf his arms which were go within a few seconds. In their place were a pair of spiky purple blasters. Lifting his arms he aimed at the femme.

With a twirl and a roll she avoided the shots, quickly coming around for another run. She got off a few shots before he fired back. However, this time she did not dodge them. One of the shots hit her wing and she let out a screech. Damaged she dropped from the sky.

The seeker crashed to the ground and was unable to hold her alternate form. Heavily injured by the impact Coriolis did not move, adding to her friends worries. To make things worse, Unicron was approaching her position with a predatory gleam in his optic. He transformed an arm into a long purple scythe, resting it in his other hand as he walked. "Now to rid myself of a pest."

"Cor!" shrieked Moonracer.

"No!" Violetwind cried out. Transforming into her vehicle mode she raced toward the femme.

"Violet, wait!" Bumblebee called after her.

Transforming, Smokescreen followed her, "Vi!

But the femme was not about to be stopped. Coriolis was in trouble and whether the seeker liked it or not, she was going to help. Speeding up, she made a transformation leap as Unicron brought down his arm. Hands outstretched, Violetwind grabbed the wounded seeker, and using her momentum tumbled out of the way. But she didn't make it away unscathed. The femme's door wing was sliced off, energon now leaking from her back.

Unicron gave a roar as he missed the kill.

On the ground, Violetwind lay on top of the seeker from their tumble. Tears wet her optics as she vented heavily from the pain that flared from her back.

_Of all the slagging things-_

With a groan, Coriolis looked up at her. "You- you saved me?"

Gritting her denta against the pain, she smiled, "That's what friends do."

"But I tried to kill you..." confusion shone from her face plates.

"Everyone makes mistakes."

* * *

One more chapter to go guys! Excitement!


	22. Chapter 22

We've made it to the final chapter! Thank you everyone who has viewed and reviewed this story! I love you all so much! :D With that said, I'll let you get into it. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 22

Unicron was prepared to attack the two femmes when he paused. Glancing up at the sky, a frown crossed his faceplates, "What? A familiar presence. Pure energy, not unlike Primus. One I have not encountered since ancient days... The AllSpark!"

The Autobots paused as they too saw the ship flying overhead.

With a breath of relief Bulkhead muttered, "Optimus..."

Elita One grinned, letting out a sigh, "You made it."

Even Knock Out was smiling, "I'd never thought I'd be so happy to see that Big Rig."

Overhead Optimus left the ship. His jet-pack lit up, thrusting him toward the group. He wasn't about to let the Chaos Bringer win.

Turning toward him Unicron showed off his pointy denta, "So, the Prime returns."

He no longer cared about the two injured femmes. The AllSpark, the spark giver of all Cybertronians, was his only priority. Creating a spear of dark energon he tossed it at the ship. The engine was hit, smoke and flames streaming from the damage. Unable to keep aloft, the ship started to fall from the sky.

"Jacky!" Bulkhead yelled, concerned for his friend. Transforming he headed for the crash site.

Glancing between Unicron and the ship, Arcee transformed, following the mech.

Smokescreen, Knock Out, Elita Once, Moonracer and Greenlight hurried for the injured femmes now that Optimus had arrived to take on Unicron.

"Thank you, Prime, for delivering the AllSpark, so that I may erase it from existence," Unicron gloated as he slammed a fist into his opponent.

"Not while I stand before you, Unicron," he returned, as they broke apart.

Charging at each other once again, they each punched the other in the face. Yet it was Optimus who came out better. He used this to get the advantage over Unicron, going into to continue to punch the Chaos Bringer speaking in between hits, "Megatron, you and I once united to save a world from Unicron. We must do so again."

"Megatron may hear you, but he cannot help you! For he is enduring eternal suffering."

Conjuring up a hammer on his arm, Unicron knocked the Prime down. "Your efforts to protect Cybertron's most sacred relic are futile. My legion is within reach of Primus, your planet's very core. And we both know that the AllSpark cannot thrive in a poisoned well."

He went to swing the finishing blow at Optimus but was not able to bring his arm down. Behind him Bumblebee was using the polarity gauntlet to hold him back.

Nearby Smokescreen and Knock Out held Violetwind between them, her arms around their shoulders. Beside them were Elita One and Greenlight in a similar position with Coriolis.

"Downside to wearing metal near a polarity gauntlet..." Knock Out smirked.

Coriolis continued in a mocking tone, "...You're subject to the very laws..."

"Of magnetism," finished Violetwind.

"Optimus, go!" Bumblebee yelled at their leader. He struggled to hold Unicron back. "Save the AllSpark!"

With a nod the mech rose to his pedes and opened the wings of his jetpack. Firing it up, he burst off into the sky for the crashed ship.

At the wreck, Arcee and Bulkhead helped Wheeljack out. Flames of the burning fuel flickered around them.

"I've been through worse," the stubborn mech insisted not desiring to be aided.

Optimus landed in front of the trio.

Standing taller, Wheeljack jerked a thumb towards the AllSpark, housed in its indestructible containing. "So, how're we gonna get that thing to safety?"

"By the only means available to us, under these most dire of circumstances," he replied. "The very survival of our species upon this or any world depends upon it."

Over with the others, Bumblebee was struggling to hold Unicron back. With a roar, the possessed mech put all his strength into bringing his hammer down. It worked, bringing the Autobot with it and flinging him off. Now free, he transformed flew after Optimus. After the AllSpark.

The Autobot leader took off onto the air again, hugging the container to his chest. He knew Unicron was coming and though he made an effort to escape, the jet was much faster.

The Chaos Bringer shot at Optimus. He dodged all but the last one. It hit the jetpack, dropping him from the sky.

Crashing to the ground, he protected the container from the fall. Groaning he looked up to see Unicron transforming, landing heavily beside him. The mech approached him, eagerly snatching the AllSpark's container from his arms.

"I shall devour your AllSpark whole," Unicron declared, twisting off the lid to peer inside. But, it was empty. His face fell. "What? A trick!"

Before he had a chance to say another word, the chamber started to tear Unicron's being from his host. He screamed and yelled as he resisted but ultimately his dark presence was sucked was sucked from Megatron's body and sealed within the AllSpark container, breaking his connection with his undead army.

Without his presence, the body he once possessed collapsed, but nobody paid any mind to that. The rest of the Bots had arrived and were more interested in what had happened to Unicron.

Optimus looked over, explaining Unicron's defeat. "As a being comprised of pure energy, Unicron's anti-spark was vulnerable to this reliquary of the Primes."

With Violetwind's arm still around his shoulder, Smokescreen looked at the container with confusion. "But if he's in there, where's-"

Interrupting him was the arrival of Starscream. Evidently the silver mech had escaped from the _Nemesis_. "Praise the AllSpark," muttered the seeker as he flew in, returned to robot mode and landed beside Megatron. "Master, you're alive!"

With a groan, Megatron raised himself to his pedes, lifting a hand to his aching helm. "Indeed."

Always the kiss up, Starscream said, "Your new battle armour will take things to the next level, my liege. Together we will reunite all Decepticons and will once again grind Cybertron under your mighty heel."

_Slagging Starscream. Already trying to get some power._

_You think he'd wait at least a minute after Optimus just saved the planet._

However, Megatron was angered by the seeker's proposal. "No!"

Taken aback, Starscream spluttered in confusion, "What? Why?"

Megatron took a few steps forward before noticing Optimus watching him with a firm expression. He paused and they looked at one another. A moment went by, everyone waiting in anticipation. The warlord then surprised those watching on.

"Because I now know the true meaning of oppression, and have thus lost my taste for inflicting it."

Optimus' expression softened; and though he did not outwardly smile, he was pleased. For so long he had been fighting against Megatron, wishing he could see the destruction he was causing, wishing for a time to come where the mech would change his ways; and now he was standing there, observing the change he so longed for in his old friend.

On the other hand, Starscream was not sure what to think. Chuckling nervously, he took a step toward Megatron, "You've clearly been traumatised, master. A good power down and a stroll around the smelting pit wit put you back in touch with your inner warlord."

"Enough!" The mech roared at him, leaning over the seeker, their faces centimetres apart. "The Decepticons are no more and that is final!"

Without another word, Megatron turned and took a few running steps to leap into the air and transform. He flew away, a lot had changed and he required some time to himself.

Venting heavily, Starscream looked at the Autobots and wrung his hands. "Yes, well... We all have plenty to think about, don't we?"

Not about to stick around and possibly be thrown into a cell again, the seeker followed his master's example and assumed his alternate mode, flying off.

With their enemies gone and throwing protocol to the wind, Elita One left Greelight holding Coriolis and raced over to Optimus. Throwing her arms around him, she sobbing gently. "I was so worried."

Initially the Prime was surprised by the action but quickly recovered to reciprocate the gesture. "All will be well, Elita."

"We won! We really won!" cheered Moonracer, throwing her arms in the air.

"Yeah, we sure did," muttered Coriolis. Turning to Violetwind she gave her a grateful look. "Vi, ya know I think I misjudged you." The seeker smirked. "You're not the slagging piece of cowardice I thought you were. You're just a little tactless in the brain department."

"Um, thanks. I think..." she replied.

Greenlight grinned. "That's her way of apologising and saying thanks for recklessly jumping in to save her life."

_Same old Cor._ Windy gave a mental shake of her head.

"Then, you're welcome, Coriolis," the femme smiled, feeling like the air had cleared between them.

"_Please_, after sticking your neck out for me like that you can call me Cor."

"Ok, _Cor._" Violetwind smiled. She had just won over a friend.

"So, anyone gonna tell us what Doc Knock's doing here?" Wheeljack jerking a thumb at the red mech.

"I'm joining the winning team!" he whined. "How many times do I have to tell you this?"

Violetwind chuckled, wrapping her arm a little tighter over his shoulder. "Enough for now."

"He did help us take back the ship when Starscream tried to steal it," Elita One looked up hopefully at Optimus.

_And he slagging broke my immobiliser while he was at it!_

_Now's not the time, Windy._

_I'll protest as much as I like thank you very much!_

"Knock Out," Optimus spoke, capturing the vain mech's attention, "Perhaps you have earned your place with us."

A broad grin lit up his face. "Finally!"

"Just don't go messing it up," warned Bulkhead.

"Yeah," Arcee smirked, "would be a shame to have to send you back to the brig."

"Or maybe into a wall," teased Smokescreen.

"Oh, no. Not that again, anything but that. How do you expect me to keep buffed like that?" Knock Out rubbed a hand over the smooth finish on his chest.

"We don't," Coriolis called out with a snicker.

Letting go of Optimus, Elita One places her hands on her hips. "Alright, enough of that. I think it's time we got these two some medical attention and told Ratchet that Unicron's been defeated."

"Hey, what happened to those big nasty looking beasties anyway?" wondered Moonracer, looking about.

Bumblebee pointed behind them. "I think they're just fine."

Flying off into the distance was Predaking with his two followers, Darksteel and Skylynx. The terracons had been defeated with Unicron's capture, leaving the Predacons intact.

"Aww, and we hardly got to meet them," the young femme whined.

"Our dealing with them will not be over. Of this I am certain," Optimus said, staring after the small group.

All of a sudden Violetwind let out a shriek and went limp in her holders' arms.

"Vi!" Smokescreen shouted in alarm.

Weak and barely conscious she tried to open her optics but the ground beneath her was blurry and unfocused. The Bots around her were shouting and trying to get her to respond but it was like a thick fog was separating her from them.

_Slag. It's... The mind thing..._ Windy muttered weakly. _It's reaching the final stages sooner... than I thought... Must be the energon loss... I'm... Sorry Vi..._

_We need Ratchet to get that code..._

_By the AllSpark I hope it works._

Mustering up all the strength strength she had, Violetwind whispered, "Ratchet... The code..."

"Code? What slagging code?" growled Coriolis.

"In... The ship..." she continued with her cryptic message, "W- we... finished it... Should... Make better..."

"Guys, get her to the ship," ordered Greenlight.

"Do you know what she's talking about?" Elita One looked at the femme.

She nodded. "And I sure hope the ground bridge still works."

While the others rushed about around her, Violetwind closed her optics. Pain throbbed at the back of her helm. Overwhelming her senses it beat against her consciousness, the fight proving too much for her. With the shouts blurring around her, her word faded away.

~oOo~

"Mmmgh..." groaned Violetwind, slowly rolling her head from side to side as she woke. She felt so tired and just wanted to go back to sleep. But the land of the living was calling.

"Violetwind? How're you doing in there?"

Letting out another groan she peeked open her optics only to shut them again from the bright light. Lifting a hand to shield her face she tried again with better results. Noticing a orange and white form next to where she lay she muttered, "Ratchet?"

The mech nodded. "Yes, that would be me. Now tell me, what can you remember?"

"Can't I just go back to sleep?" she whined, briefly closing her optics again.

"No. Now what do you remember? Who's in charge? What are the names of your team members? Where are you from?"

"Ratcheeet!"

"Tell me," he demanded.

With a sigh she responded. "Optimus is in charge cause he's the Prime and leader of Team Prime. The members are Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen. And we just defeated Unicron. Optimus put him in a large jar. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"No. Violetwind, where are you from?"

"Ugh, fine. I'm from-"

Her optics widened. A flood of memories about earth filled her mind. Only they were not just of as her time as a robot. Memories of her past life as a human were among them. She remembered her parents and friends, her childhood mistakes and highschool years.

When she did not respond the medic looked concerned. "Violet?"

"Ratchet," she uttered breathlessly, "I remember everything. My past!" Sitting up she grabbed the mech's arm. "Ratchet, I remember my life as a human!"

He was a little shocked but quickly recovered to smile. "An unexpected side effect of the stabilisation."

"I've got my memories back, Windy!" When she got no response, Violetwind's smile faded. "Windy? Not even a smug remark?"

Ratchet's optics looked on in concern as the femme sat quietly hoping for a response from her inner partner.

Yet there was none.

"Ratchet..." The femme sobbed. Throwing her arms around him, she wept into his chest plates. "She's gone..."

Patting her back, being careful to avoid her reattached door wing, he tried to sooth her. "It's alright. She's... She's still a part of you. She always will be."

"I wish there had been another way... I'd do anything to keep her. None of my old memories are worth enough to replace her. I'd give them all up to hear her again... She was... She was my best friend..." Violetwind could do no more that sit there holding onto Ratchet crying out her sorrows.

The mech sighed, letting her do just that. He was also grieved by the loss of Windy. He might not have known her that well but he knew she was behind a lot of the femme's success. She had been the reason Violetwind had been such a help to him and had been the reason she hadn't been offlined in a fight. Windy would be missed.

_Slag. What's with all the crying?_

Violetwind sniffled, blinking her optics in surprise. "Windy?"

_Yeah, who else would it fragging be? Ugh, why does it feel like Omega Supreme sat on me...?_

The femme let out a breath and smiled pulling back from Ratchet. "Windy! You're alive!"

_Yes, I slagging am,_ she grumbled.

Relief shone from the mech's optics. Pointing to her head fin he told her, "Your comm link has been repaired."

With a nod, she opened a call with Ratchet so he could hear Windy as well. "You had me worried!"

Windy's voice dripped with sarcasm. ::You do care.::

The femme smiled and shook her head. "Of course."

::So I guess I didn't get cut out during the cleaning process. Are we going to be alright?::

"According to your latest processor scan you're much more stable and have been getting more so all the time. There is hardly a distinction between what I assume is your two consciousnesses, which I believe was the problem you have before," he glanced at the scan he had up on the monitor. "With a little more rest you should be better than new."

"No more random outbursts of violence?"

"Not unless you desire it."

::Slag, we made it.::

"When can we tell the others?" Violetwind looked eagerly at the medic.

"I shall inform them. But for now, get some more rest. Your processor still has a bit to work through and your body to recover from the loss of energon thanks to your reckless actions," he gently pushed on her shoulders to get her to lie down.

Not resisting she lay back against the berth, feeling sleepy again. "Ok, Ratchet."

::Hey, Ratch?::

The mech paused to look at her as the femme closed her optics.

"Thanks for saving us..."

He grinned, "No need to thank me. It was the code you came up with that saved you two. Now get some rest."

"Yes, Ratchet..." Violetwind mumbled.

_Hey, Vi,_ Windy's voice held the excitement of a child.

The femme did not open her optics. What?

_Watch this._

Within moments an image appeared in her mind. Elita One, Coriolis, Greenlight and Moonracer were smiling and waving. The femme herself was standing on the walkway into a small spacecraft.

The vision faded and Violetwind asked, _So what was that._

A cheeky feeling came from her inner companion. _A memory of when I left the girls on that planet._

_So you can share them? That's cool!_

_Slag, yeah. But I don't recall anything about arriving on earth... What's the first thing you remember about being a Bot._

_Um, being in a cell with Smokescreen._

_Nothing else?_

_Nope. And the last thing I remember about being a human was going to bed._

_Then it fragging deleted our memories of that day._

_Don't worry. It's not like we needed them. We shall have more memoires to share in the future. We don't need the day that all this happened to us._

_You're slagging right. We don't need it. We've got the bots and each other._

_Exactly,_ she grinned slipping into quiet sleep.

~oOo~

The femme found she was being lightly jostled from her sleep. As her sensors woke, Violetwind realised she was being carried. One arm was under her legs while the other was around her shoulders, each supporting her weight.

Opening her optics she peered curiously as the blue chest plate her helm rested against. Lifting her head she turned her gaze to her carrier's face. With a look of confusion she mumbled, "Smokescreen?"

He flashed her a grin. "Glad to see you're awake."

Looking around she noticed that they had just left the _Nemesis_. "Where are we going?"

"Optimus called everyone together. He didn't say why, though. He's been waiting until you were well enough to join us," the mech replied.

_How's Cor? Is she alright? Would ya ask him, Vi?_

"And Coriolis? How is she?"

"Doing fine," he assured her. "Ultra Magnus has woken too."

"That's good," the femme smiled relaxing into Smokescreen's hold. All of a sudden her face plates scrunched up, "How long have I been out?"

"Hmm, about a solar cycle."

_Slag. That was a long nap._

"A whole day! I've been sleeping for a whole day!"

"Calm down," he chuckled, "Ratchet said you needed the rest. All your circuits adjusting and all."

By now they were approaching the rest of the group. The Autobots turned to greet the femme with warm smiles. Lifting a hand, Violetwind shyly waved back. She could see Ultra Magnus, the mech lying on a beth beside Ratchet. Coriolis was there too, putting on a brave face, Greenlight next to her. Optimus stood at the head if the group, Elita One near him, making Violetwind smile just a little bit knowing how they cared for one another. Bulkhead and Wheeljack had taken up positions near the back, both being tall mechs. Arcee was in front of them, standing beside Bumblebee, Knock Out on the other side of him.

"Violet!" Moonracer bounced over. "We're so glad you're ok! Ratchet told us you were just in recharge this whole time but you were sleeping for sooo long!"

"Moon, how about we give, Violet some space," Elita One said as she guided the young femme away.

Carefully, Smokescreen let the femme down. She was a little unstable on her pedes but he kept hold of her until she could stand on her own. Violetwind felt a little silly not being able to stand on her own but would rather have help than end up with her face on the ground.

Glancing around the femme could feel anticipation in the air. Everyone had been waiting for her arrival so they could begin. But begin what? She didn't know.

With a calm gaze over his team, Optimus spoke, "In order to both protect the AllSpark and secure Unicron's defeat, it was necessary for me to empty the vessel's contents."

"Into where?" Bumblebee tilted his head.

"The Matrix of Leadership," he replied, looking down at his chest where the artifact was kept. "As such, my own spark may no longer be separated from the multitude of others with me."

Ratchet looked up at him with disbelief, "Are you telling us that you are now, one with the AllSpark?"

"That's what you say when someone kicks the..." what started out as a joke trailed off as Smokescreen realised its seriousness.

Optimus lifted his head, "To not return the AllSpark to the Well, would be to prevent future generations of new life from existing on Cybertron. My quest must be completed."

"Optimus, I didn't return to save a life, only to lose the one I care most about," Ratchet protested, his spark-ach shining from his optics.

Bulkhead rested a hand on the medic's shoulder. "Ratchet's restored planets, he'll find a way to save you."

"We'll turn to Vector Sigma, just like we did before," added Arcee.

Elita One stepped forward, tears springing up in her optics. "Optimus, you can't... We've only just been reunited. You can't leave me again."

The mech embraced the love of his life. With all his spark he wished it could have been different. But there was no other way, not one that would not take years to find. He could not hold back the new generation of Cybertrons just to save his own spark. "I am sorry, Elita. I realise I cannot deliver on what I promised you. But know that I will always love you..."

Tears streamed down the femme's cheeks, "And I'll always love you too, Optimus."

Unconsciously clinging tighter to Smokescreen, Violetwind choked back her own tears. "Why did it have to end like this?"

Also grieved Windy growled, _Slag it, Optimus. Just when things were starting to look bright._

Leaning down, Optimus ignored the fact that everyone was watching and planted a kiss on his love's lips. Elita One's tears momentarily ebbed as he lifted her spark with the caring gesture. Pulling back he stared into her optics and in his soft deep voice said, "I'm sorry..."

"I don't blame you, Optimus. I just... I just wish there was another way..."

"I know." Turing his gaze back to the rest of the Autobots he addressed them. "Because the Matrix must now be relinquished with the AllSpark, it cannot be restored or passed down to another. But, while this may very well make the end of the Age of Primes, leadership can be earned, with or without the Matrix. And in my view, you have _each_ acted as a Prime."

"Well, I never really had the best role models," Knock Out muttered in a rare moment of humility.

Optimus went on, "As even Megatron has demonstrated, every sentient possesses the capacity for change."

He reluctantly relinquished his hold of Elita One and turned from them, taking a few steps towards the Well. As he left Moonracer came up to place her arms around the weeping femme.

The Prime opened his jet pack wings, before turning to face his Autobots again. "I only ask this of you, fellow Autobots, keep fighting the noblest of fights."

Bumblebee nodded, "You can count on us to keep the peace."

Smiling Optimus delivered the final part of his speech. "Above all, do not lament my absence, for in my spark, I know that this is not the end, but merely the beginning. Simply put, another transformation."

Without another word from anyone, Optimus took off. He flew upward and made a gentle arc to fall into the Well of AllSparks, disappearing from view.

All of them stood, waiting and watching. But for what, they knew not. They all knew they could not leave just yet. The moment weighed heavily on each of their sparks, though none more that Elita One's.

Despite feeling saddened, Violetwind knew that what Optimus said was true. It was a new transformation and it involved everyone. The Autobots, Cybertron, even her and Windy were a part of it. She had the memories of her human life back and Windy could share memories of her own past if she wanted.

But the femme realised there was something missing. Neither of them could remember the day of the merge, when Windy crashed to Earth and almost killed her human self. In order to fix their mind it had been erased and with it any hope of replicating it. This suited them both just fine. Such knowledge was too dangerous in the wrong hands. At least now it was safe.

Glancing at each of the bots present she smiled. Together they would build a bright future for themselves. For Cybertron.

"Woah!"

Moonracer's shout drew her attention and her own optics widened at the sight.

A rainbow of lights shot out from the well like fireworks. The rainbow of sparks that sprang from the Well was a sight to behold. The colourful light show filled each of the Bots with a feeling of hope for the new future of Cybertron.

A single red spark even hovered close to them. Each of them grinned, recognising the familiar calming presence the spark held.

"Goodbye, Optimus," Elita One whispered.

The spark hovered there for a moment longer before flying off after the others.

"It truly is a new beginning," uttered Violetwind.

Grinning down at her, Smokescreen agreed, "It is."

Pulling her in front of him, he leant down, helm tilted. Closing his optics he brought their lips together in a kiss. At first Violetwind was surprised by the action but her spark soon melted and she drew closer to his embrace. Leaning into him, they let the kiss draw on as they let the love flow between them.

Slowly they let go, staring into one another's optics.

"Guess this means we're more that friends now," Smokescreen said with a coy grin.

Violetwind's face plates flushed, "I guess it does..."

_Slag._ The feeling of a smile came from Windy. _I guess I could live with this._

* * *

Hope you've enjoyed our journey, I sure have! But it's not all over here. In a few weeks (not sure how long exactly) I'll be posting the first chapter of the next story, '_Until that Day...'_ woot! Join Vi, Windy and the bots as they attempt to rebuild Cybertron.  
In the break time until it's posted, I should hopefully be starting a collection of short stories and perhaps even share a few alternative scenes to what ended up in the story, for those who are interested.


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